Cruel Smile is a stop-gap compilation of peripheral recordings dating from the When I Was Cruel sessions (including sundry remixes of tracks from that album), radio slots, and performance tracks, many of which were originally released as B-sides and bonus cuts on singles from the far flung corners of the globe. Costello aficionados may already own the likes of the blood-and-guts live rendition of "Uncomplicated" and the two admirable recordings of the Charlie Chaplin-penned/Nat "King" Cole-covered "Smile"--one dripping with strings, sax, and theatrical stardust and the other more plaintive), which Costello recorded for the Japanese TV drama 100 Million Stars Falling from the Sky. --Kevin Maidment