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 Member 1865 Level 52.14 Mar 2006 
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"Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles" is unique because of the instrumentation it uses; if I remember correctly, the score is performed by instruments appropriate to the time period and level of development in the game (i.e. medieval).
Kumi Tanioka is something of a VGM cipher; while she's been involved in some very high profile projects, like this and Final Fantasy Online, she doesn't have a readily identifiable style and seems to have few fans. While her work on the MMORPG is uniformly bland, Crystal Chronicles does offer a much more mature and melodic sound. This is typified by "Endless Sky," which served as the game's trailer music. The period instruments are mixed together to form a warm melody that grows more powerful and heartfelt as the track progresses. Many of the other highlights are in the same mold; the liting and sad "Departure" and the melodic "Moving Clouds on the River's Surface." The silliness which was present in many of Tanioka's FF Online tracks is present as well, notably in "Goblin Lair" which (like many tracks) uses a kazoo-like sound in a creative and bouncy way. The album has its share of darker tracks, though these tend toward the ambient (with "Light and Shadow" being one of the most effective). There are also songs like "When the Northern Sky Is Clear," though, which combine the lighter instruments with a choir to form a darker tune. Unfortunately, the battle themes, such as they are, are completely limp. "Limp" unfortunately describes many of the tracks, especially on Disc 2. For every highlight track that is filled with creativity and melody, there are two more that muddle around in ambiance, doing nothing. The fact that these tend to be darker tracks as well speaks to Tanioka being at her best when composing bouncier tunes. The less said about the abysmal J-Pop that marrs the album, the better--when will the Squeenix brass stop trying to ram inappropriate pop garbage into their games? Unlike several other composers that have written in the Final Fantasy mileu, though, Tamioka does reference Nobuo Uematsu's iconic work on the series. This is most obvious in "I'm a Moogle" which rearranges the classic Uematsu song for Crystal Chronicles' instrument set, but the classic "Prelude" in in evidence as well, integrated into many of the songs in a very subtle and appropriate way. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles" is ultimately a mixed bag. There is some truly beautiful orchestral material on the double album, but plenty of misfires as well. One would hope that Tanioka will be given the oppurtunity to capitalize on her stylistic and compositional strengths in the future, since it's clear that with a little more effort, she could produce a stunning home run. 3/5 Jam it back in, in the dark. 
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orion_mk3