A man with a talent for writing catchy yet thoughtful songs.

Mark Spiro has one hell of a musical resumé to his name; to date he has 45 gold and platinum records adorning his walls, a plethora of tracks written for artists whose albums have gone on to sell in excess of 100 million records, and a writing canon that includes songs written for the likes of Loverboy, Winger, Kansas, REO Speedwagon, John Waite, Laura Branigan, Julian Lennon and many, many more. He is also a well respected solo artist with six solo albums to his name, including ‘Now Is Then, Then Is Now’, ‘Mighty Blue Ocean’ and ‘Devotion’. With ‘It’s A Beautiful Life’ Mark Spiro continues a legacy of excellent song writing, which he has always done in a very personal and heartfelt way, and for me he is one of the best singer songwriters working today.

‘With It’s A Beautiful Life’ Mark once again writes and sings songs about life, love, sacrifice, heartbreak and everything in between, whilst wrapping everything up in a smooth west coast, AOR blanket. Starting the album with the title track, Mark tells of how great life is these days and after his health scare of a year or so ago he seems to be reaffirming his love of life, ‘Come Back To Me’ is the story of a boy who has lost his true love and is trying to get her back; it’s an up tempo song with a great vocal and a really catchy chorus, ‘Love Struck Dumb’ is a mid-tempo ballad where Mark tells about his love for a girl, a girl who is in love with somebody else. Beautifully arranged and played, this is the type of song you just know the writer has lived the lyric himself. ‘Might As Well Be Me’ is fun-filled track with a great hook that tells of finding joy in everything you do, ‘Dance The Lonely Spotlight’ is a wonderful song about someone dreaming of what might have been, if everything in their life had gone the way they had wanted it to. ‘Dream Big, Pray Hard’ sounds like an autobiographical song, with lyrics taken from things Mark’s mother said to him as a child. It’s the rockiest track on the album and you can tell he had a great time recording it. ‘Everything I Do’ is a wonderful way to finish the album; it’s a love song sung to his wife, that says everything he needs to in a few heartfelt lyrics.

I’ve probably been a bit biased whilst reviewing this album because of the respect I have for Mark Spiro as a song writer, songs that I have always found to be so enjoyable to listen to. That said ‘It’s A Beautiful Life’ is another album of which Mark can be truly proud, and showcases a man with a talent for writing catchy yet thoughtful songs, songs that any fan of good music will enjoy listening to.

Ian Johnson