Overview

Cafe SQ is the latest in a series of albums dedicated to interpretations of Square Enix favourites by musicians beyond the games industry. As the name suggests, it focuses on relaxing jazz and folk performances, but the album features quite a bit of variety nonetheless. Prior to the full album's release, a preview was released at the Tokyo Game Show 2011, featuring five tracks that would appear on the full release.

Body

The preview album closes with a performance of the much-lauded "Troian Beauty" for jazz trio. Schroeder-Headz captures the café concept beautifully with his interpretation of pensive melody, emphasis on subtle chord shifts, and elaborate improvisations on piano. It's a pity that electronic distortions sometimes detract from the authentic feel, but the overall execution is excellent.

The melody of Final Fantasy IX's overworld theme is lifted with the soft yet stimulating electronic beats of yuxuki waga, and many of Nobuo Uematsu's original ideas are greatly elaborated upon. While there is a soothing jazz tinge to this arrangement, in many ways it is an extension of the sound of Chill SQ. Threads of Fate may incorporate some jazzy piano parts, but it may have been a better fit on the Chips SQ album — where it would have delighted with all its bouncy bleeps. Its inclusion here reflects that Cafe SQ is much more than a smooth jazz album, although this might unsettle some.

The unexpected medley of Gato and Spekkio's themes could have easily come from the swing era. Little Fats does an excellent job to retain the playful quality of these tracks, while ensuring they are styled in a way that isn't too superficial. Also from Chrono Trigger, the remix of "Corridors of Time" interweaves acoustic segments with electronic ambience. While not the best rendition of the fan favourite available, it's largely refined and inspiring.

Summary

Overall, this is a decent preview of Cafe SQ. It reflects its emphasis on jazzy tones with several selections, while showing that the album explores further territories. Those that enjoy this release should certainly enjoy the full album, which features these tracks and numerous other highlights.