Modern Romance - Trick of the Light

All Music Guide

Perez Prado was the original “King of the Mambo", and Lou Bega updated Prado for the Millenium with the worldwide smash "Mambo No. 5". In between came acts like Modern Romance, and their string of eight mambo- and salsa-flavored British pop hits from 1981 to 1983. Five of those hits highlight the group's second album, Trick of the Light, featuring producer Tony Visconti's occasionally entertaining mix of gleeful horns, insistent percussion, and pep-rally vocals. A respectable remake of "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White", featuring John Du Prez on trumpet, reached 15 on the British charts, and blends nicely alongside period pieces like "High Life" (8), "Don't Stop That Crazy Rhythm" (14), and "Best Years of Our Lives" (4), the last of which was covered by the Baha Men on the Shrek soundtrack in 2001. Main songwriter David Jaymes collaborates with Du Prez and other bandmates on many of the hits, as well as the less memorable filler. The most notable stylistic departure, an anonymously... catchy ballad entitled "Walking in the Rain" (7), is one of two songs embellished with Visconti's arrangement of the Philharmonia Orchestra in an apparent attempt to broaden the band's sound and sales market. Unable to change their image or earn U.S. popularity, Modern Romance faded as quickly as most genre-revival fads (see Taco). Nevertheless, Trick of the Light contains an unusually high percentage of enduring material for such a novelty item. - Vince Ripol, All Music Guide Read more Less