Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow is the second vocals CD that brings together some of the most memorable songs from FF1-6 and turns them into lovingly epic and grand songs, with real instrumentation and delicious vocal arrangements.
This CD works superbly well, and flows a lot easier than its predecessor Final Fantasy: Pray.
The opening track "Long Distance" is a superb track, with big drums, and a fully orchestrated string solo! You don't get many of those on your average album. Although it's a fantastic track, the only drawback is that it doesn't sound like the song it comes from, the over world theme of FFIV, but it is silly to put a classic song down for that reason.
"Yuukyuu No kaze" is FFIII's Eternal Wind, which is extremely laid back and full of jazz implementations and this time an acoustic guitar solo. The vocals are also very light and dreamy here to fit the mood. While it isn't one of the strongest tracks here, it shouldn't be overlooked.
"Have You Ever Seen Me?" is one of the reasons why Love Will Grow works better than Pray, it introduces happy songs! I find this song absolutely charming and beautifully playful. The vocals are very childish and bouncy and almost innocent to the world around them. The song is most a string quartet and a guitar giving out a fast beat. This is very anti-Final Fantasy but works so very well. The song stems from FFIII's Tozas song.
"Valse De Amoureux" is a completely new song written for the album, and is sung in French, to suit the accordion playing. This too as a sumptuous track, happy and bouncy again. The way in which the vocals, the instruments intertwine here is fabulous, as it is throughout the whole album.
"Gaia", the main theme to the original Final Fantasy is a heart breaking piano based song that is accompanied by grand strings and powerful vocals. Again, instrumental verses are magnificent, but there's something about this song as the way how the powerful vocals and instruments can crumble down to a whimper, pure gold listening.
"Tooi Hibi No Nanokori", FFV's Sorrows Of Parting, follows on with a downbeat, heartfelt piano and vocal track. This epic 6 minute track produces some fantastic piano work, that wouldn't have been out of place is the Piano Collections. The vocals are suitably quivering and low key, with a distinct echo emphasising on the lonely undertones of this piece, working to great effect. By the end of the track you'll feel like you've been on that journey with them too.
"Harukanaru Kokyou" is FFV's Faraway Hometown, and is done in the same style and cheeriness as "Have You Ever Seen Me?" This time though, its less cheesy and more complex, with an ever-building array of vocal patterns building up to a fantastic climax at the end of the song. This song uplifts the album again and adds some different textures to the album.
"Estrelas" is a jazzy version of FFIV's Gilberts Lute. The trusty guitar and light percussion keep the beat going, while the flowing violin keeps this song alive. While this song doesn't stand out as one of the best on Love Will Grow, it is fairly catchy and it actually has some kind of percussion in!
The next song, "Kami No Yurikago" is a fantastic display of vocal talent. Taken from FFVI's Relm Theme, there is no instrumentation in this song whatsoever! All the backing music is done by vocalists, from the chord pattern hums, to the string like oohs. It is truly an original piece of music, and actually makes it so much more moving to listen to. This is a very grand song indeed.
The title track, "Love Will Grow", the finale music from FFII, is yet another lovely piece. With so many instruments gradually layering themselves behind the soaring vocals, the song would not have felt out of place as a finale to a musical or a movie soundtrack. The crescendo ending rounds off a fantastic song, and leaves you wanting more. This is almost like the end of a concert, where the epic song finishes off the day and everyone is left with a little tear to shed at the end, magnificent.
"Prelude", the classic theme found in all Final Fantasy's somewhere, is almost like an encore. Upbeat and dare I say almost danceable too, it takes the song and makes it into a French Jazz version, complete with many solos from various instruments, and a lovely double vocal arrangement and scat from vocal and instruments at the end rounds off the album perfectly. Treat this song like the relaxing party song at the end of a long day battling monsters, and it will amplify the feeling by 10.
Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow is a perfectly thought out, fantastically produced and well realised album, and any fan of the gaming series, as well as powerful music, would enjoy this CD immensely. I would rate this CD higher than its predecessor as it is better balanced, and the way in which the vocals and instrumentation wrap around each other is more flowing than Pray.
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