The name Poor Old Lu is taken from The Chronicles of Narnia when Peter states to his sister, Lucy, "Poor old Lu." Most will be familiar with the members of this band consisting of Scott Hunter (This Diminishing West), Aaron Sprinkle (lead singer in Fair, producer for Acceptance, Number One Gun, Kutless, and Anberlin, among others), Nick Barber (Dead Poetic), and Jesse Sprinkle (Dead Poetic, Demon Hunter, Morella's Forrest). Mindsize is one of Poor Old Lu's best albums. The lyrics and music in all of these songs are simply brilliant, especially when one considers that most of the members in this band were still in their late teens. The old 70's reel-to-reel recorder on the front cover illustrates the tone of this album well since some of the songs bear a 70's influence.

The album begins with the appropriate opening song "More," which is somewhat dark at times. It focuses on someone who is not saved and what it would result if his or her life were to end, "Imagine when I found I'm no savior / imagine when I knew and saw and fell before the Lord / Myself none of any good my world crashed / I live it all for me and so it simply moved right past". "All Pretty for T.V." is an upbeat song that has a really nice rhythm to it and showcases a retro feeling. "In Love with the Greenery" is another dark song that is likely to be a favorite due to the memorable bass guitar throughout its duration. "Do I" is, by fare, the best track on the album. It has a little bit of grunge flavor with a very catchy chorus that is hard not to love. The lyrics sound like a famous poem: "She might have been a princess / She might've been here with us / or ride so high and far away / is she sleeping safely? / Is her sky the same way?" "Cruciality" is another great song that covers the life that one has to go through and how it can be tolerated. Like the first track, "Shine" is an appropriate closing song. "Shine" is a ballad with beautiful cello and violin accompaniment. The chorus simply stands out and is not easily forgotten, "In a simple way / though I be so wrong / though I turn away / I know where I belong."

Terry Taylor, who is a member of Daniel Amos, produced Mindsize, and many believe he was the grandfather of Christian Alternative Music. Mindsize remains timeless, easily categorized among such albums as The Unforgettable Fire by U2 and Much Afraid by Jars of Clay. Anyone who is looking for an album with depth or a unique alternative sound would do well to track down a copy of Mindsize. I would advise getting the original Alarma release rather than the KMG (Mindsize / Sin) version since the original is not compressed and contains the album's original artwork.

- Review date: 4/6/07, written by Wayne Myatt for Jesusfreakhideout.com