Gilbert O'Sullivan

Part of a wave of singer/songwriters who followed a path carved out by Paul McCartney, Gilbert O'Sullivan created his own distinctive pop persona that relied on lush, dulcet melodies and clever lyrics. His touch was so soft, his arrangements so opulent that his hooks tended to obscure the dark undercurrents in his songs, especially on such early hits as "Nothing Rhymed" and "Alone Again (Naturally)." After the latter became an international success in 1972, O'Sullivan's singles and, eventually, albums favored lighter material like the love song "Clair" and "Get Down." Though his career slowed in the late '70s, he eventually returned to action in the early '90s. Over the next few decades, he operated on the fringes of the mainstream, but he made an unexpected return to the spotlight in 2018 when his eponymous album became his first record to chart in Britain in over 40 years, a feat he repeated on 2022's Driven.