here's a moment during the ending of "Losers Day Parade" on Kino's debut CD, Picture, where lead singer/guitarist John Mitchell sings the lines, "dead nobodies in company cars / This loneliness wherever you are" a few times and the hairs on the back of your neck pop straight up. The lines are bleak, aren't they? "Dead nobodies in company cars." "Losers Day Parade" does chronicle the dreariness of everyday life. But when Mitchell sings that doomy line, his voice and the melody of the song's hook soars and you find yourself humming or singing the line yourself.

That's part of the pleasant deception of Kino and the band's music. On the surface, they seem like one of those typical, progressive rock supergroup offshoots where each band member gets to show off their instrumental prowess. How could you blame the four of them anyway, right? Mitchell is the lead guitarist for UK progressive rockers Arena and a John Wetton sideman. Bassist Pete Trewavas is one-fifth of Marillion. Keyboardist John Beck used to play for 80s cult art/pop rockers It Bites. Drummer Chris Maitland played for Porcupine Tree before leaving for a lucrative session career. So Picture could have easily been a chops-for-chops-sake wankfest. Luckily, it’s a showcase for good songs and good songwriting. Picture is pure catchy pop music. The progressive overtones are here and there on the fringes, but melody, not manual dexterity is the mainstay.

When you're done singing "dead nobodies in company cars" at the end of the CD's opening cut, "Letting Go" begins and will remind you instantly of Asia. Actually the bridge sounds exactly like Asia. And right after that bridge, you will be singing or humming again. This time the line is, "know yourself / Just know yourself / Know yourself / Please know yourself / Letting go...." "Leave a Light On" is the third track and begins like Synchronicity-era Police. Later, Beck's keyboard solo is right out of Duke/Abacab-era Genesis, but it's short. It's a short solo so the band can get back to the ultra catchy chorus. "All You See" and "Holding On" are as hauntingly beautiful as Steve Hogarth-era Marillion songs such as "The Great Escape" and "Afraid of Sunlight." Although he doesn't sing with Arena, Mitchell's lead vocal strengths jump out quickly. Part Pete Townshend, part John Lennon, his quirky tenor is emotional enough to get the lyrics across without resorting to awkward talk-singing or yelling. And if you find yourself lost without a Wakeman or Emerson-sounding organ part, just wait until the end of "Holding On."

Mitchell, with piano only accompaniment, sings the quiet and short title cut to finish off the CD. "Picture" reminds the listener for the last time that Kino concentrates on the song. When's the last time Yes actually gave a toss about the song? Exactly.