I suppose I got into music pretty early as a kid. When other people were still listening to Sesame Street's Greatest Hits, I taping Styx and Blondie from the radio. Along with loving music, I loved video games, but they didn't really feature great music back then. Once the CD based systems started taking over, developers really started to pay attention to music and were finally able to give the gamers the real deal.

Jet Set Radio (Jet 'Grind' Radio in the US) for the Sega Dreamcast featured some of the most unique music ever featured in a video game. The music captures the style of Sega's innovative title perfectly with a mix of tracks which blend sounds from J-Pop to techno to hip hop. The end result is an enjoyable CD and a must have for die hard fans of the game.

The bulk of the tracks feature work from Hideki Naganuma, who has a clever and playful style which is perfect not only for Jet Set Radio, but also if you just want to kick back and listen to some fun music. As a matter of fact, the track that he did called "That's Enough" is my official 'strut song.' (You know... kind of like your theme music.) My favorite track, however is the single offering from the Reps called "Bout the City." It had a more pop sound to it but it still fits in well with the overall mix of the album. Another perfect example of a song I play too much is another Hideki Naganuma song called "Sweet Soul Brother" which could easily be a great 'strut song' for anyone out there.

As much as I loved this disc, there was certainly a lot missing from it. Clocking in at just over 53 minutes, there was certainly enough room for at least a few more tracks from the game, such as the playful "Magical Girl" or one of my favorite tracks from the game "Idol Taxi." In the end, you still get a fine sampling of music from a quality game, however I can easily see a lot of people balking at the price of having to import the disc.

Track Listing:
1. Let Mom Sleep
2. Humming the Bassline
3. That's Enough
4. Everybody Jump Around
5. Sneakman
6. Bout the City
7. Mischievous Boy
8. Sweet Soul Brother
9. Rock It On
10. Yellow Beam
11. Electric Tooth Brush
12. Funky Radio
13. Moody's Shuffle
14. Grace & Glory
15. Jet Set Medley
16. Jet Set Station/Toronto feat. DJ-K
17. Jet Set Groove #1
18. Jet Set Groove #2