Sakamoto Maaya - MORE THAN WORDS

When singer and voice actress Sakamoto Maaya began her musical career back in 1996, many of her classic songs were written by the sought after composer Kanno Yoko and lyricist Iwasato Yuho. For Maaya's 25th single the magic trio have reunited to produce MORE THAN WORDS. It is the theme song for hotly anticipated anime series "Code Geass Bokoku no Akito", in which she also has a leading role.

Those who had watched the previous two "Code Geass" series would probably be surprised by MORE THAN WORDS. Unlike the loud and dramatic songs that were chosen as themes before, this is a slow, deep piece. A simple cello-led string accompaniment provides the main backing in the simple, almost monotonous verse. It's Maaya's tender vocals that lift what could be an oppressively gloomy overtone, although her detached manner emphasizes a sense of coldness. Kanno's characteristic ambient sound embellishments add depth to the bare bones arrangement.

The chorus is what makes this track. In contrast to the restrained verse it is an outpouring of sadness, where the higher register allows Maaya's expressive, dulcet tones to ring out clearly. Iwasato's lyrics are, as always, perfectly suited to the theme of the freedom struggle of the series. Kanno builds the song up gradually on a slow burn, adding more string parts, harmonies and flourishes along the way. The last quarter of the song is where it all comes to a boil, bursting with elaborate drumming, electric guitar and the moving strings that she frequently uses so well. It's a track which upon first listen doesn't leap out, but over time the intricacies of it imprint it into the mind.

The B-side is the joyful DEKO BOKO MARCH (Tairetsu wa kimi ni tsuzuku), with lyrics written by Maaya. Unlike the heavy A-side it doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's literally all bells and whistles, a fun street parade with Maaya twirling a baton at the head of a brass band. Her ever youthful sounding voice delivers this light track as well as any of her more "grown up" offerings.

MORE THAN WORDS sees the welcome return of a talented songwriting team. All those involved have worked on different projects over the years, but there is a comforting familiarity in this song. With Maaya Sakamoto's vocals only improving over the years, it's a skillfully written and performed piece that can be appreciated not only by anime fans.

The limited edition of the single comes with a bonus DVD of the music video for MORE THAN WORDS. An edited clip of the music video can be seen below.