Cliff Richard

Placing his rock & roll revival on hold for a few days, Cliff Richard and his regular band decamped to Abbey Road studios in January 1977 to cut a new inspirational album, Small Corners. With Richard himself producing, the entire album was bashed out in just three days, January 17-19, and the finished thing would retain that spontaneous air to emerge the most enjoyable and, in many ways least pious, of all Richard's religious offerings. Highlights are the two lightest-hearted numbers, "Good on the Sally Army" and "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music," but a lovely version of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" is also sterling stuff -- in fact, the weakest number on the album is that selected as its one and only single, "Yes He Lives." Much of the credit for the album's strength must go to the musicians, who hit every number with the same force they normally employed on the rock records, but Richard himself seems determined that the fans should enjoy themselves, too, and the result is an album that fits snugly in alongside the remainder of his late-'70s output. [The 2007 reissue includes four bonus tracks.] ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide