Vocalized music is still fairly new to the Final Fantasy series. Vocal parts were first noticed in FFVII's "One Winged Angel." Even more noticable were the pieces that actually featured an artist, such as FFVIII's "Eyes On Me" and FFX's "Suteki Da Ne". Uematsu took a much more interesting route with his older music though. He added the voice of the stellar Risa Ohki to classic pieces of Final Fantasy music to create the beautiful Final Fantasy Pray collection.
Final Fantasy Pray consists of Final Fantasy pieces familiar to anyone that follows the series. The synthesized lines have been replaced with vocals provided by Risa Ohki and a band. The results are outstanding. This may be the single most beautiful re-arrangement of music out there. Even though she seems to have to stretch a little to hit the higher registers, Ohki's voice is great. She also seemlessly performs the different languages that the songs were written in, such as English, French, and Japanese. The best piece on Pray is "Toki No Hourousha," also known as "Terra" from FFVI. It is dark, haunting, and flat out beautiful. Risa Ohki's voice, coupled with the orchestra is excellent. While Pray really doesn't have a low point, no other piece can match up to "Toki No Hourousha," nothing really could. "Au Palais De Verre," or "Matoya's Cave" from FFI, may be the most enjoyable piece. Smooth, calming, yet still bouncy. The Latin beat of "Esperanca Do Amor" provides the same peaceful yet bouncy feeling. "Prelude" really shows off Ohki's control, although may not be anything special beyond that. "Voyage" is another great example of using the orchestra to back up Rhisa's great voice, and the power of Risa Ohki's voice is really highlighted in "Pray," which is based of the main Final Fantasy Theme. "Pray" is also the most powerful piece on the CD, and the rock background adds much to the song. Coupled with several other pieces, this CD provides a great listening experience.
Although short, Final Fantasy Pray will feel more complete than most other albums out there. Very few collections can match the emotion and quality Pray. Nubuo Uematsu and Risa Ohki have produced a hit, one that should be experienced by anyone interested in Final Fantasy music, or vocal music in general.
Overall Score: 9 Best Piece: Toki No Hourousha (Terra)
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