If you enjoy the music of The Beatles, ELO or maybe even The Travelling Wilburys, I think you will appreciate Trick of the Light by Rob Smith.

Rob is a pretty amazing man—a preacher, Bible College lecturer, hymn-writer, rock music composer and a regular stand-in as Paul McCartney in The Beatnix.

I’ve enjoyed listening to him preaching (via the medium of on-line MP3s), read his book on Justification and the New Perspective on Paul and have sung a number of his congregational songs and contemporary hymns in church. But this is the first time I have heard his secular music.

Trick of the Light is attractively presented and includes documentation of the performers (which include Garage Hymnal’s Andy Judd and Rob’s son Nat) and liner notes about each song. The tasteful musical arrangements are reminiscent of the Mersey sound of the 60s and of some rock music of the 70s, but with added contemporary edge.

In his notes he writes that the first track, Anything at all, is a “not-too-thinly-disguised tribute to The Beatles, particularly in their Hard Day’s Night period”. Even the title is similar to that of an early Beatles’ song. Other Beatles links include the keyboard in Tell Me That You’re Mine, which is reminiscent of the electric piano/mellotron in I am the Walrus, the fade-outs at the ends of some songs, the electric sitar [or is that more B J Thomas Hooked on a Feeling flavoured?] and the final She Loves You major sixth vocal and instrumental ending in When You’re Gone. Private World evokes Free as a Bird and Real Love, the songs that were recorded by the remaining Beatles over some demo tapes of John Lennon for their 1990s Anthology series. The rest of the songs are not quite as blatantly Beatlesque, though there is certainly a connection with their music.

There is plenty of variety on the CD, from hard-rocking songs like Clumsy, through ballads like Annalisa, to two instrumentals: a Hank Marvin tribute called Shadowlands and the Celtic flavoured Shamrock. Help Me Get Out sounds quite a bit like 10CC and even breaks into the Rubber Bullets “Whatcha gonna do about it?” refrain (just in case we missed the reference)!

I particularly like the lyrics to When You’re Gone, which Rob dismisses in his notes as “somewhat flippant” and “a touch corny.” He portrays the emptiness of life without one’s partner as feeling like:

a lock without a key
a boat without a sail
a storm without a calm
a wound that just won’t heal
a poem without a rhyme

Very effective, imagery, I think.

His song Extraordinary is a catchy song about valuing what you have while you still have it, and features a great saxophone solo from Spike Mason.

I think many people would enjoy this album and I’m certain that those who appreciate the popular music of the 60s and 70s will find it brings back many memories.