Distant Worlds III: More Music from FINAL FANTASY - Official Video Game Soundtrack Collection for Gaming, Relaxation & Fantasy Enthusiasts

Another great addition to the Distant Worlds orchestral concerts collection.My thoughts on each track -Hymn of the Fayth: Begins as a solo and slowly adds other voices and instruments to what is really a simple 50-second chant. Repeated listenings have heightened my appreciation of the subtle alterations each time that give a different emotive quality to each rendition.Battle and Victory Theme Medley: Starts with the FFXII version of Battle on the Big Bridge and segue-ways into FFX's Battle with Seymour, which feels a bit too synthetic to be natural in the orchestral piece, and finishes with Fighting from FFVII before the ubiquitous Victory Theme. Not bad, but these are not the best versions of these songs.Kiss Me Good-Bye: Susan Calloway shines here. Her voice is perfectly suited to the whimsical, but still poppy, ballad.Not Alone: A new arrangement, and a welcome addition from FFIX. This piece manages to be high-energy and subdued at once, with some brilliant instrumental layering of sharp but quiet winds under strings.Balamb Garden ~ Ami: Essentially the same track as the Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec version. Beautiful and calming.Character Theme Medley (From Final Fantasy VI): This track and Balance is Restored are the reasons I bought the album (FFVI has may favorite soundtrack - of all things that have soundtracks). Starts with Terra and continues into Kefka's Theme, wonderfully bombastic, off-balance, and fleeting, then Celes' Theme, slow, simple, and sad. As the theme nears its end, the tempo kicks into high gear and flow's into Locke's heroic Leitmotif. Very faithful to the originals.Fabula Nova Crystallis: Strings and piano. Lovely soft melody that made me want to begin playing FFXIII, since I've put it off so long...Blinded by Light: I've seen complaints about this, which puzzle me. I've not heard the original rendition, but I do like this one.Primal Judgement: Powerful song, but not enough going on to justify the length, or even place on the album.Rose of May: Ah, FFIX. How I miss it... And the soundtrack is a big reason why. This one takes a bit of time to get into the main melody, but the set-up is nice and there's plenty of time for the meat of the track. The flavor is less depressing than the original song (also called Loss of Me). I like it, but I liked it more when it made me sad the whole way through.Chocobo Medley: A fun track. I don't recognize the intro, but it's light, airy, and pretty. Then it's Mambo de Chocobo (FFV's version), a vocal cheer, and then another up-beat version of the Chocobo theme.Balance is Restored: I'd been waiting a couple of decades for an orchestrated version of FFVI's ending theme. Even though this is only part of it, it's so, so, lovely. It could use a bit more "punctuation" to parts of it (most is loud and uplifting enough, but pieces of it could have used a bit more "oomph", is the musical term, I believe). Still, it brings tears to my eyes and sets my hair on end, so I can't complain.Answers: I feel a bit mixed on this one. The melody is beautiful and lyrics exceptional, but the soloist really clashes with the melody/feel of the song. She has a very "pop" sounding voice in an operatic song, and in my opinion it doesn't work very well in this case, especially in the chanting portions, where her voice sticks out awkwardly in my ears.