LET IT SHINE

This song was written about an on going conversation between my brother Andy and I. When I wrote all the lyrics and melody for LET IT SHINE I was working on James Christian’s solo CD “LAY IT ALL ON ME”, out right now!

It should also be noted that while I was going through a tough time, my dear friend JIMMY GRECO told me that I had this huge light in me and all I had to do was to LET IT SHINE… I never forgot that!

So, here it was, years later and I was giving the same advice to my brother. Michelle Esrick, Odetta’s adopted daughter and my brother’s close friend for 3 decades, brought that line back into my consciousness unknowingly when she invited Andy, Joan, my fiancée’ and myself to a ceremony in which the city was honoring Odetta’s life, legacy and where she lived in NYC by placing a medallion on the building for all to see. 

All the amazing people at that uplifting event were singing “THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE.” This was Odetta’s signature song. After receiving the rough music track from James, the title LET IT SHINE and its topic came up again and reminded me of Jimmy Greco’s words. Like, brother-to-brother, it went from Jimmy Greco, to me through the history of what it meant to Odetta and her fans and then on to my writing the new song melody and lyrics LET IT SHINE for the James Christian solo CD “Lay It All On Me”…

When I was sent the rough music track, the song literally wrote itself. Because of my long relationship with Robin Beck, going all the way back before her first major record “Trouble or Nothin’” with her #1 hit single, “The FIRST TIME” on it there was a tremendous respect and chemistry.

We wrote songs together in NY and England that were recorded on that CD in WOODSTOCK NY, at Bearsville Studio, with a “who’s who of amazing musicians and technicians” like drummer Bobby Chouinard (who was the drummer in my band Pierce Arrow) Diane Warren, Holly Knight, Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, Producer Desmond Child and my dear friend John Luongo bringing it all to life at the console.

Robin called me to reconnect many years later and said that someone wanted to say hello to me. She put James Christian on the phone and that’s when I found out that even though they were both working at my home studio on different projects, they never met each other.

I was told that they finally met walking towards each other on a beach in Malibu CA. and then I was told they were married and had a daughter named OLIVIA who was 8 years old then.

While at their home in Florida working on lyrics and melodies with Robin, I heard Olivia sing… I knew immediately that if she got the music bug, she would be a huge star. She is well on her way.

So often, the writers of melodies and lyrics are attributed to the lead singer, which is a huge compliment to the writers because any great singer takes a great lyric and makes it their own through their sheer talent, inspiration and the resulting gifted performance.

In the case of my work with James Christian and Robin Beck, it had been such a blessing to work with 2 of the highest caliber of singers. Their inspiration always gives way to their sterling freedom of expression. It is always such a gift to know I could go anywhere and James and Robin would take my melodies or co-written melodies and lyrics and bring them to life forever.


None of the songs I’d written with and for James Christian and Robin Beck would have been written without the brilliant music tracks created by Jimi Bell, Bj Zampa, Tommy Denander and James Christian, Chris Pelcer and anyone Robin and James chose to work with. Thank God for Robin’s Background vocals. Robin is a genius singer/creator. There is so much more I'd love to say but I'll just leave it here...

“You could say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one” ~ John Lennon

LET IT SHINE
written by: Jeff Kent & James Christian

Somebody told me somethin' I'll never Forget
They said, you don't see what I know you're going through
They told me, sometimes you gotta just turn back
From what's breaking you in two

Oh I've been there, my friend
and it's hardest thing to do

Remember there's no Time to waste
Feeling sorry for your sins
All the Wins that you Lost, my Friend
So you could free what's inside of you

So, let it shine..(let it shine)
Let your Light come shining through
Before you find that's it's all too late
For anyone to really know you
So let it Shine

I never knew that I would be telling you this
It's only, now I can see what you've always seen in me

And now this Time is yours, my Friend
Cause the Circle never Ends
So don't pretend it's not Destiny
That you helped me find the Light inside...

And, let it Shine...(Let it Shine)
Let your Light come shining through
Before you find that's it's all too late
For anyone to really know you
So...Let it Shine... (Let it Shine)
Let it Shine...

(Solo)

All I ask, is Let go of the Hourglass
Cause the Past just covers the Light in you

And Let it Shine... (Let it Shine)
Let your Light come Shining through
So you can see it's the Only Way