Despite its obvious reference to "the light of the triune God," to which "this music is humbly offered,"
Spark in the Dark may be the most accessible of the
Alpha Band's three recordings. At the same time, it lacks the consistency and flow of their excellent, yet offbeat debut. "East of East" is an auspicious opener, but a couple of near-misses and the maudlin, "Blue Lonely Night," make Side One spotty, at best. The second side is another story, though. There's a snap and depth here that was missing from the first-half of the record. Tracks such as the engaging rocker "Adrenalin" (written by
Burnett,
Soles, and art director Jim Ganzer) and the pure pop take on
Dylan's "You Angel You," jump off of the record, while the title track and the cosmic blues of "Mystified," both written by
Burnett, are winners. And while
Soles' lone (solo) composition on Side Two, "Love and Romance," is an improvement over "Blue Lonely Night," it's still a bit of a let down after his contributions on the first album. By the
Alpha Band's standards,
Spark in the Dark may have been its most commercial-sounding record, but it merely helped to cement the group's status as the eccentric cult band that it was destined to be. ~ Brett Hartenbach