Kindred Spirits Guitar Arrange Version
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Album Title: Kindred Spirits Guitar Arrange Version |
| Record Label: ViViX |
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| Catalog No.: VIVI-0005 |
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| Release Date: July 9, 2014 |
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| Purchase: Buy at Amazon Japan |
Overview
The Kindred Spirits Guitar Arrange Version is a complementary release by ViViX that features rock instrumental versions of select tunes from Maiko Horisawa, a Japanese singer who has contributed to a variety of video games over the years, Kindred Spirits album that features both original and cover tunes. This album features interpretations of each type of tune by the members the G5 Project. How does this album by Masahiro Aoki’s label turn out and is it worth a listen?
Body
Masahiro Aoki opens up the album with the first two tracks. The first, “I Will Be There with You,” originally written by David Foster, retains the pop flavor of the original. I really like the guitar work here, as it I think it replaces the vocal melody quite nicely, but also includes some flourishes from time to time. His cover of the titular “Kindred Spirits” is more impressive. As with the rest of the tunes on the album, the guitar lead replaces the vocals and in this case, I think it really manages to create a very romantic feeling. With the backing, I really think Aoki’s guitar playing complements the soft ballad accompaniment.
Takajii’s “I Just Fall in Love Again,” a cover of The Carpenters tune, takes a more acoustic approach with the guitar, although there is a shift towards electric guitar. The combination creates both a homely as well as a romantic feeling that complements the backing track quite nicely. Yamato’s “Carrying You,” a cover originally found in the Studio Ghibli film, Laputa: Castle in the Sky. It features a wonderful lead guitar and I really like the mix of soft orchestra with some of the more passionate guitar sections.
“Dream Big,” another original tune, is covered by Nike and really captures the romantic feel of the original. The guitar work goes quite well with the soft strings in the backing track, but it does feel a bit more straightforward compared to some of the other covers. Lastly, Mintjam’s a2c covers the classic tune, “Amazing Grace.” Compared to the other instrumental covers on the album, I find this one to be the weakest. It offers more creative interpretation in terms of guitar performance, but for a cover of this tune, I think that the guitar is a bit too harsh based on the original as well as the backing track.
Summary
In the end, the Kindred Spirits Guitar Arrange Version is a solid release on the whole. However, it is quite a short album and may not interest fans of video game music. However, for those of you who want to hear some relatively straightforward covers of both original as well as classic tunes, this might be worth listening to; however, don’t expect anything to wow you.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on October 15, 2014 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on October 15, 2014.
About the Author
Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.
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