Utada Hikaru – Passion

August 2, 2006 at 2:01 PM | Posted in Utada Hikaru | Leave a comment
Tags: singles

Tracklisting
1. Passion ~single version~
2. Passion ~after the battle~

This is Utada Hikaru’s 15th single and it was released on December 14, 2005. The single reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 112,345 copies. The first track was used as the opening theme song for the Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts II while the 2nd track was the ending theme.

The first track is the ~single version~ of Passion. I love the beginning of this song because it sounds so epic. Her voice sounds so mystical and ethreal throughout the whole song. The strong mix of synth and percussion is amazing. Hikaru’s vocal range at the end of the song is astounding as well. I only wish the verses were a little longer and the “my heart’s a battleground” sequence from the Kingdom Hearts II opening version was included in the single version.

The next track is the slower, piano-based ~after the battle~ version. This version was used as the ending theme of Kingdom Hearts II. The chorus is the biggest change for me because there are no background vocals and her voice is calmer and more relaxing. I also thought it was a nice touch to add the instrumental of the single version at the end because the instrumental alone is great and unique compared to her past work.

Overall Rating

5 stars