https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA49C88B5CB69245A

This is what I call a semi-orchestrated album. You can hear that the instruments used are not real, but the tracks usually have a more realistic touch than the original. While the album as a whole is not great, there are still some excellent tracks. Here is my review.

1- Ahead On Our Way

After a strange introduction (it sounds like Inuit women chanting) the track starts with an extremely annoying echo. The violins in the background are good, but the flute sounds like it’s being played in a completely empty crystal room. And the second part sounds so artificial (worse that New Wave synth) and I automatically skip it.

2- Lenna's Theme

THAT is how semi-orchestrated tracks should sound like; it’s the best one of the album. After a nice introduction, the core of the track is played with a very realistic flute, with nice and quiet violins in the background. It carries the delicate persona of Lenna even better than the original track. The flute playing in the second part even gives Lenna more strength than the original track could have done. The last loop sounds too artificial, but the track is still excellent.

3- Pirates Ahoy!

The track was overdone a little. I love the background “bells”, but the main track sounds too artificial, as if it were the Game Boy Advanced version. The male voices in the second part sounds like a pirate choir, but the other chanting is downright annoying. Just skip it.

4- Cripper Tripper Fritter!

This one was WAY overdone. The arrangements are very annoying, they sound very artificial (and even random, as if the composer was trying to sample here and there without a precise idea in mind) and have the echo I hated from Ahead on our Way. Just skip it.

5- Intention Of The Earth

Despite arrangements I don’t think sound pleasant, the track is still nicely done. It sounds even darker than the original track with its slower tempo and lower-tone instruments. It reminds me of the cultist tower in Final Fantasy VI without the “male choir.”

6- My Home Sweet Home

The introduction was good, with slow instruments that carried the sad feelings well. However I thought that the singer (whatever her language) did not blend in well with the track. Just skip it.

7- The Land Unknown

Another track that’s too artificial. The arrangements are worse than the original (except for the flute at the end of the loop), the dramatic feeling isn’t there anymore (especially with the drums in the middle of the loop) and the violins at the end of the second loop try to make the track a little more Celtic and don’t do it well. Just skip it.

8- Tenderness In The Air

I’m not a fan of the harpsichord, but this track does sound good.  I think it gives even more “tenderness” than the piano version. The arrangements at the end (that play the main track instead of the harpsichord) also add to the feeling of well-being.

9- Waltz Suomi

Waltz are usually not played with accordions, but this version is good nonetheless. This seems to have been the inspiration for the fully orchestrated version, which repeats each part of the loop twice before moving to the next one. I think it was a clever manner to extend the track without getting lost in arrangements.

10- Fate In Haze

Another tracks that has been overdone. The intro is too loud and artificial, and not even the flute that plays the main part of the loop can make it sound better. Just skip it.

11- I Feel As You Feel

While the piano sounds nice and more tolerable that the original arrangements, the track is barely recognizable from the original one. Even when the clarinet kicks in you still don’t recognize much of the original track. Enjoy the track in itself, not as a “remix” and try to ignore the annoying voice.

12- Music Machina

Modern arrangements are definitely more dramatic, but they have been overdone. You can barely hear the loop because the arrangements are too loud. Just skip it.

13- Music Box

Hmm… I wonder if this track is the best one rather than Lenna’s Theme. Anyway it sounds like an even more realistic music box, and the violins in the background help making the track even more soothing. The loop extends naturally with the music box track, making the track superior to the original one. In the second part the track is even played with a flute.

14- Dear Friends

These are nice guitar arrangements. They are quiet and slow, carrying Kara’s sorrow better than the original track (but not as well as the piano version). There is even flute in the second part, adding both sorrow but also a little joy.

Final diagnosis: I would recommend getting the individual tracks rather than the full album. Most tracks were terribly overdone, making them worse than the original tracks.