Among anime fans, Yoko Kanno is recognized as a master of her craft. Her moving, mood setting music has added a complex audio depth to the anime scores she's worked on that's rarely matched, both in its exquisite quality of composition and in how effortlessly it meshes with and complements the unfolding story it accompanies. Perhaps even more integral to the respect she's earned as one of the most prominent composers in her field is the range her compositions span - a range of genres each mastered in their own right. From the finely orchestrated, epic score of Escaflowne done in cooperation with Hajime Mizoguchi to the toe-tapping jazz influence of Cowboy Bebop, the wonderfully varied scope inherent in Kanno's talent is evident between anime, and often within a given anime as well.

Such adaptive and highly suitable variety was the case with Kanno's work in Cowboy Bebop, many songs providing given scenes with their own unique and appropriate thematic flair. All the while, however, a certain funky jazz vibe permeated Cowboy Bebop's music, and if Ask DNA, the opening theme song for the Cowboy Bebop movie, is any indication, this jazzy influence is set to continue into the Kanno composed score for the movie. The Ask DNA maxi-single is performed by the Seatbelts, a highly talented group of artists assembled under Kanno for the majority of the music in the Cowboy Bebop series, as well as working with her in other projects individually. Their contemporary, jazz influenced style worked beautifully in the Cowboy Bebop series score, and is equally compelling in this most recent offering, boding well for what's to come in the movie's soundtrack.

The first track gets off to a running start with the funky, upbeat track What Planet Is This? The jazzy vibe has a driving force to it that grabs you and demands your attention, complemented nicely by big band overtones with the prominent horns of the brass section. The track reminds me of Tank!, the opening song to the Cowboy Bebop series, which served as a griping introduction to the Cowboy Bebop world, just as this song starts the single off on the right foot.

Next up is the title track, Ask DNA, the opening song to Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven' Door. More mellow than the opening track, the jazz influence can still be felt strongly in this track, with a contemporary, almost lounge type atmosphere seeping in with synth piano. As was the case with the opening track, horns are still central to the song, as is strong, rhythmic percussion. The play between the cool, laid back leading vocals and the backing vocals works really well, but acts only as one highlight seamlessly intertwined among many others.

Track 3, Cosmic Dare (Pretty With A Pistol), leans more towards a pop sound than the first two tracks, again to the credit of Kanno and the Seatbelts' range and diversity. The female vocals are well suited to the pop feel of the song, but don't let the stronger pop feel fool you - the vocals are sung beautifully, accompanied by a level of musical composition and complexity rarely heard in standard pop songs. The funky guitar work mixes with varied percussion to great effect, and enjoys a high level of production.

The next track, Hamduche, is another departure stylistically from the previous tracks, both musically and vocally. The music is rather simple, consisting of a lone, mellow piano, creating a strong lounge feel. The vocals, however, end up contrasting with the piano work due to the strong middle eastern vibe they exude. In spite of the contrast though, the song works quite well.

Another mellow track, the final song on the single, Is It Real?, is deceptively simple. Like the previous track, the song is carried with a central piano sound, but as the song progresses, ambient sounds start to kick in to wonderful effect, as does sparse percussion and finally powerful but understated strings. The emotional vocals give the song a sense of completion, and the somewhat raspy quality to them serves the composition well.

Any Kanno fan, especially those having enjoyed her work on Cowboy Bebop, is bound to enjoy this single. The fact that each of the 5 tracks stand on their own, instead of seeming like filler material to pad the title track, makes it more a mimi-album than a single. Ask DNA is certainly worth picking up, and if it's a sign of what to expect from the rest of Cowboy Bebop's movie soundtrack, I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of Kanno's work for the movie.