Well, as anyone who's up to date with Naruto Shippuden will know, Joe Inoue's CLOSER is the current opening theme. And... it's pretty good. It's certainly one of my favourite so far. The only problem I had with the song itself was how long it took to be released after appearing in the anime. But never mind.

The CD is a fairly standard affair, with five tracks:

1. CLOSER (full version)
2. GRAVITY
3. Kangaetaku Nai ~Can a guy talk all night?~
4. CLOSER ~NARUTO intro version~
5. CLOSER ~Karaoke version~

NOTE: The code on the CD should be KSCL-1322, released by Sony Music Entertainment. If you find a copy that says anything different then DON'T BUY IT. It's most likely a fake unless you buy it from a reputable retailer.

Because I managed to nab a First Press edition I got a nifty free Naruto sticker with Naruto, Shikamaru, Asuma and Kurenai on it. The sticker itself is about the size of the CD case, so I've no idea what I'm supposed to do with it for being so big o_o; I also got a tiny, tiny 2009 calendar with lots of Shippuden and original Naruto pictures on it.

So, as with all things, let's start at the beginning, and the chief reason you'd be buying the CD. CLOSER is definitely the track of choice on the disc by quite a long way. The light synthesiser orchestration works nicely with and against the heavy guitar riffs and rumbles, and Joe's voice fits very snugly into the middle of this to create a very nice harmony with the rest of the song. The lyrics (or from what I gather of them from the translations- regrettably I don't understand Japanese) aren't particularly special, deviating rather little from the mainstream sentiments that follow a lot of animes that have a tragic vein running through them for whatever reason or another. Despite the upbeat nature of the song itself the lyrics are a little more grounded, which fits well with the majority of Shippuden's more serious nature, and it all echoes well with the section of the series this initially accompanies.

Assuming you've only heard the version featured on the Shippuden intro, the second verse would be new to you, and the music deviates a little from the rhythmic verses and choruses snipped into the shorter. It's a little jarring when the drum beat suddenly disappears for the second section and then slams back in at double-pace for the last bit. I'm not entirely sure it works as well as it was intended for the short amount of time the changes happen, and there is a slight sense all the way through the song that it's trying too hard to be dramatic and exciting. You've even got the slower, harder drum beats in the penultimate chorus repeat used in a lot of songs to really hammer home that "This is the point the song is trying to make!" In this case it actually sounds very good and adds a nice variation to the chorus, and in all honesty if the verses and chorus had been the same all the way through it would have become a bit stale by now. CLOSER keeps itself fresh all the way through.

And the final chorus has the key change of the rhythm guitar that sends the emotions soaring into the stratosphere, and you finish the song feeling incredibly satisfied and wanting to go on that ride again, please.

The only slight deviation from its successful form is the slightly offbeat instrumental bit that kicks off the third act. If you've watched the video of the full version on YouTube this is where Joe talks to 'The King' (who looks suspiciously like the King Of All Cosmos from My Beautiful Katamari), but the bizarre dialogue from that is thankfully omitted from the single version. I have to admit I was rather relieved to discover that, having winced in anticipation of hearing garbled Engrish over a very nice song >.>;

Speaking of Engrish, with Joe Inoue having been born in Los Angeles it helps the English sections of his songs tremendously, and there's nary a bad vowel or mispronounced consonant to be found. They always make me smirk a bit, even when I love the song.

Then we get onto the other tracks. GRAVITY is incredibly average in its orchestration, and the lyrics contradict themselves a lot. It's sort of angsty, almost emo stuff, but not written with nearly as much care or consideration as CLOSER. It comes off as petulant and whiny, which is disappointing given the more empathic song just previous. He doesn't sing it particularly well either; I don't think he's done himself any favours by creating it virtually on a monotone instead of using the range he shows off in CLOSER. It's all in English though, and for what it's worth you can hear every word of it.

Kangaetaku Nai ~Can a guy talk all night?~ starts with the lyrics 'I don't want to think about it', and to be honest you don't really need to when listening to this song. It's fun with a lively rhythm, but again he sings on a monotone all the way through, and it feels a tiny bit soulless. The little guitar riffs that play in the background are quite interesting and lift it a bit, but the bass has the same, unchanging pulse all the way through, and it almost brings the rest of the song down to the same level of flatness. There's some nice synth brought into the end to liven it up, but it's not really enough to redeem it. Much better than GRAVITY, but miles behind CLOSER in its richness.

CLOSER ~NARUTO intro version~ is the song you've already heard, although condensed into one-and-a-half minutes instead of your three-and a-half. Still very very nice, although bite-sized for when you want your CLOSER fix and you've not got much time ^_~

I like the karaoke version of CLOSER almost as much as the proper full version. As is the case with any karaoke, you get the full taste of the orchestration, and it's not any less effective for not having lyrics. You can really appreciate the instruments and how well they all fit together. If Joe can create more songs in the same vein as CLOSER then I know I'll be very happy. He's got a new single coming out on February 18th, called 'Maboroshi'. I can only hope it's more CLOSER than GRAVITY...

In all, for the song you buy the single for, I'd say a healthy 4.5 / 5 stars. It's lovely wonderful upbeat stuff, and you can't get much more exciting or invigorating. At least you don't pay extra for GRAVITY.