Reviewed by Chris Tozer

Any band promoted by the agency working for Rebecca St James and ZOEgirl must be worth listening to and certainly Poor Man's Riches, from Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, are on cracking form with this their second album. The five-member outfit were formed six years ago and were named the Gospel Music Association's Nashville Spotlight band of 2003 and placed second in GMA's national talent search. PMR have toured with Seventh Day Slumber and Lincoln Brewster - which might give those in the know some indication of their style of music. Some say that the band sound like they've jumped on the post-grunge bandwagon. Jeremy Zeller, the band's frontman, simply describes the band's sound as "modern rock with a dash of hot sauce, and a lot of Jesus." Well, having had a good listen to this album I'd go along with that. Despite all the heavy guitars and driving beat the band seem determined that the singer's lyrics are clearly heard in the final mix. "Don't you think it's time?" he sings - and who am I to disagree? The title track has already reached the top at Christianrock.net and gained airplay on 400 American radio stations; quite impressive for an indie band. "Break Me", the second single from the album, is already the best selling record from their New York City label and is, as I write , climbing high in the Radio & Records Christian Rock Chart in the States. If clarity of vision and strong lyrics inspire you then look no further than this fine meaty album.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.