Overview

Sega attempted to cash in on the launch of the Kinect with the racing game Sonic Free Riders only to flat commercial and critical reception. Most reviewers agreed that the game was rushed compared to other instalments of the series and left much to be desired in terms of both gameplay and presentation. Unfortunately, these problems extended to its soundtrack too. Created by Tomonori Sawada, Jun Senoue, and Koji Sakurai, the soundtrack features a range of electronic mixes and vocal themes that lack the charm and creativity of previous scores in the Sonic racing series.

Body

Jun Senoue's vocal theme for Sonic Free Riders, "Free", is surprisingly bland. The vocal performance of Chris Madin is rarely compelling here, in part due to the excessive voice manipulation. The focal line simply doesn't have the attractive and catchy quality required to hook listeners, while the lyrics sound more dreary than uplifting despite focusing on 'wind' and being 'free'. The backing parts, comprising various electronic beats and guitar riffs, adds some motion to the track yet results in a somewhat ugly overall soundscape. More impressive is Crush 40's version at the end of the soundtrack, with its harder edge and improved balance. The vocalist's performance is also more charismatic this time, though the main hook still sounds more laborous than it should do. After the supremacy of "Un-gravity", this track is an enormous disappointment.

Unfortunately, the background music for the title is rarely impressive either. "Start Up Your EX Gear" is the only arrangement of past scores from the series and a mischosen one too; as so few new elements are added, the track fails to sustain repetition for twice the length of the original and makes the 'skip' button irresistible. The repetitive elements extend to the stage themes, the meat of the score, too. Tracks such as "Theme of Dolphin Resort" don't sustain their large playtimes, when they loop the same generic riffs and beats ad nauseum; the monotonous nature is only emphasised by each one bar riff used to supplement the already droning elements. "Theme of Metal City" and "Theme of Magma Rift" are a little more tolerable — portraying their respective stages fittingly with harder industrial beats — but even these tend to drag on a stand-alone basis.

Perhaps the main issue with the Sonic Free Riders soundtrack is that Tomonori Sawada decided to compromise the series' once mature sound to appeal to a younger audience. While his once cutting-edge guitar riffs and electronic beats are found across the soundtrack, they're used as static forces to propel the focal elements, which are usually sampled vocals or superficial synth leads. "Theme of Forgotten Tomb" and "Theme of Frozen Forest" are examples of the latter category and manage to appeal to nobody. The childish nature of the lead melodies is likely to turn off most electronica fans — the target audience of the previous Sonic Riders scores — yet their dull writing is unlikely to appeal much to kids either. Sawada has never been a master melodist and, as a result, his attempts to appeal to on a superficial level fall flat here.

The tracks featuring sampled vocals are the most challenging on a stand-alone basis. Courtesy of new recruit Koji Sakurai, "Theme of Rocky Ridge" is a peculiar blend of electronic beats, country instrumentation, and sampled vocals. No single element is impressive on their own — the beats generic, the banjos obnoxious, and the vocals cringe-worthy — contrary to the great fusions on the Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity soundtrack. When thrown together into a unbalanced mix, the final result is hardly tolerable. More vocal elements are incorporated into "Theme of Metropolis Speedway", but they are even more cheesy and repetitive. Try seeing how many repetitions of "Jump It Up", "Hey Hey Hey", and "Oh yeeaah" you can take before you become deranged. In fact, they're a step back from the Sonic R soundtrack, which is saying something.

Summary

Overall, the Sonic Free Riders soundtrack is a major disappointment. In contrast to the impressive score for Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, it features only 12 tracks and most are not worth their playtime. There are no electrifying race themes or unforgettable vocal anthems here, instead just a bunch of repetitive loops and bizarre mismatches. This is surprising given the experience and reputation of the three composers involved, though perhaps they were compromised by a tight production schedule or executive interference. Either way, the final soundtrack is a surprising failure.