SONGS about football — not usually a lot of cop, are they?

If you want to hear a football song that displays the all-too-often-missing vital qualities of intelligent lyrics, good melody and impressive playing, have a listen to the third track on this album.

It’s called “Watching Brazil” and an example of what I’m saying is in the second verse: “And a person who listens to the football results, is a person who’s at peace with the world and his Maker, for the theatre of dreams is not some merchandise machine, It was there long before all the movers and flakers . . .”

A terrific song, but it isn’t just football that Essex-man Hughes turns his eye upon.

Also coming under scrutiny are the pleasures of driving round the M25 (“Shouting at the radio”), the not-very-pc pleasures of tobacco (“Nobody smokes in America”), and the pleasure of touring the UK with his pals Fairport Convention (“On the bus”).

To the fore throughout the album is Hughes’ guitar-playing. He readily admits the debt he owes the great Bert Jansch, indeed, a song on an earlier album is dedicated to him and called “Cool BJ”.

He has now risen above any comparisons, however, and has developed very much his own style — which he has dubbed rhythmo-sardonics.

The man’s sardonic wit is in much evidence on “Heart of stone” based on the true story of a shopkeeper who was murdered and buried under the premises: “They should put up a sign there, someone said, ‘Management under new shop,’ they said the police didn’t chalk an outline, a blue circle was done.”

Shining on this disc is Gerry Conway whose mighty percussion work lifts and enhances virtually every song here. Listen to the thunder he creates on “Jelly babe” — fair shakes the floor.

Other luminaries helping to make this an exceptional album are Spencer Cozens, whose keyboard work is central to every song; the awesome double-bass of Danny Thompson; the vocals of Jacqui McShee and Eddi Reader; and various Fairporters lending a hand and filling in.

But, make no mistake, this is a David Hughes album, his fourth in fact, and it’s his songs, his singing and his playing that make it.

The man’s a star — it’s such a shame that not more people realise it.

Fred Hall