Reviewed by Tony Cummings

As we go to press "Quasar" from the Poets last album is still on the Cross Rhythms playlist so it won't be a surprise to learn that Third Verse" is also stuffed full of radio friendly hooks. As aficionados of American pop rock will tell you, Atlanta is currently THE place for producing bands that both sell by the bushel load yet retain a thread of musical intelligence. These Georgia boys with their wistful blend of jangly guitars, retro-meets-modern rhythms and keenly crafted songwriting show again that their years of dues paying have paid big creative dividends. I love that eat-at-you opener "Every Reason"; those gliding harmonies on "Any Other Love"; the compelling cover of the 77s' "The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes And The Pride Of Life"; and I love their songsmith ability to speak old, old truths with fresh inventiveness. Take the wistful ballad "Clean" ('Bare before you at the waterside/Afraid to take the step into the tide/Oh, I feel so obscene/Knowing I am only/Clean/Because you promised me/I'm clean/Wash me/I'm clean'). Whether this is a fairly successful album or a huge sales blockbuster largely depends on the fickle nature of the marketplace. But for those who investigate this now I suspect they'll discern a CCM classic.

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