Reviewed by Ian Hayter

After just three full albums and a clutch of singles, this is Mr Leighfield's second Greatest Hits package (the first featured songs from 2006-2008). He's a hard-working guy, a favourite at a number of festivals and a very talented lyricist. This particular compilation is intended to introduce his work to a Chinese audience, having played there recently. Cuts from 'Have You Got Heart?', 'Fan The Flames' and 'Garde Ta Foy, Garde Ta Foy' appear here, along with the excellent single "New Season" (an appropriate opener on this set) and three other singles, one a collaboration with Sam Isaac and one with Jose Vanders. Some of the songs are archetypically English, with a certain wistfulness in the words yet a sense of joyfulness in the music, but as the album progresses, the atmosphere becomes more and more gloomy and by the end I was wanting to shout "Cheer up a bit!" at the CD player. You can read reviews of the three albums whose tracks are featured here elsewhere on the Cross Rhythms site, but as a collection this is not a bad way into Luke Leighfield's oeuvre.

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