The Kitchenware Records sound could certainly never be accused of much in the way of originality but it can lay claim to some fine songwriters of the past 15 years or so. The obvious example of this would be Prefab Sprout's Paddy McAloon and it is his five contributions on this 15 track compilation which rightfully show what a great songwriter he is. One of the great bonuses for Prefab Sprout fans is that their first, difficult to get hold of, single 'Lions In My Own Garden' is the opening track on offer here and they will be comforted to know that it is a fine record indeed. It would be churlish to say that the rest of the CD fades away in comparison but it has to be said that the Kane Gang's three contributions do sound rather pleasant but unambitious, with their brand of pop-soul giving the impression that they are related to Savage Garden. However, Martin Stephenson's 'Crocodile Cryer' and Fatima Mansions' 'Behind The Moon' display fine songwriting and the requisite plainitive vocals whereas the future of Kitchenware lies with Hug's grunge-lite and the exotically-named Geoff Smith who offer a couple of interesting efforts but little to suggest that they can provide anything original. But on the basis of this compilation, Kitchenware have always been more concerned in classic, old-fashioned songwriting rather than trying to be like Beck.