Never in a million years did I imagine that I'd fall in love with Enix's "Bust A Move: Rhythm and Dance" the way I did. It's sort of like PaRappa the Rapper except you dance to some of the best tunes I've ever heard in a game rather than sing. I mean I fell hard into this one and I think it was because of the great music that the game was based on. I couldn't take a test, drive my car, or eat without one of the tunes constantly playing in the back of my mind.

As for the soundtrack itself, I am pleased to say that it is far superior to the game OST as nearly every song has a new beginning, ending, and even some cool new verses in between. The various music reflects the personality of the characters in the game. It ranges from house, techno, hip-hop and even a little old school disco, "on the nostalgia tip". Most of all I'd have to classify this as a stricktly dance music CD as that's what it was created for and that's the effect it gives off. Still, with the cool beats and well-written songs there is something for everybody!

Some songs are in Japanese, but they are all just as good as the English ones if not better. In fact, the Japanese music of Capoeira's stage, "Blue Knife", and Frida's stage are among my favorites! Really, it's hard to find such an excellently produced and well mixed assembly of songs like this. You may want to try the game first as this music may not be for everybody, but it's an A+ in my book!

The ultimate party game, Bust A Move is a genre-busting game that appeals to (almost) everyone. I first encountered Bust A Move at a party, where it was the center of attention. But I digress, this is a review of the music CD (the game is gooood though!). Songs range from standard J-Pop to disco to ones that are difficult to pigeonhole. The quality of beats and rhythms is quite high - all are executed with flair.

The lyrics however, are a different story. In the game, the backbeat is far more important to the player than anything else, so the lyrics play a very small role. But when listening to the music alone several details come forth. The English lyrics might not be Velveeta, but they come very close to cheesy. The worst offender is "Transform", which contains a bizarre mix of Japanese and English. The performer, who is Japanese, "sings" some English is every stanza. The words are, in order of appearance, "Shout", "Midnight", "I'm Kelly", "Baby", "Twilight", Transform", and "Daybreak"... all sung with a plaintive cry (think cats in heat) and repeated a few times for good measure. I suppose for the Japanese it is used more as a decorative item.

There are other songs that mix English and Japanese, but none bludgeon the English language as blatantly as "Transform". In fact, one of the best songs, "Blue Knife", mixes languages, but it's hard to tell where because the performer doesn't vary the delivery, which is good. And the pure dance songs with no real lyrics, "Chemical Love" and "Fly'n to your Soul", are excellent.

This CD appeals to even those who usually hate "game" type music. My brother, who normally looks upon my collection with disdain, can't get enough of "The Natural Playboy". He's even taken the CD on occasion to play for his friends.