Clifford T Ward: The Best Is Yet to Come

One of those quintessentially British singer-songwriters of the 1970s that have all but been consigned to the bargain bin of your memory banks, Clifford T Ward (who died in 2001) is famous for, at best, three songs: Gaye, Home Thoughts from Abroad and Scullery. The latter two don't appear on this new compilation, but that doesn't necessarily dilute the overall impact of Ward's assured and intuitive way with piano-driven melody lines and reflective lyrics. An acquired taste (hints of vanilla?) for some, a guilty middle-of-the-road pleasure for others, Ward might be anathema to those whose idea of a good singer-songwriter is equal parts edge, grit, enigma and atonality. Still, there's enough strong 1970s-weighted material here to warrant, if not a reappraisal, then certainly a rethink.
Download: Gaye, Jigsaw Girl, You Knock When You Should Come In