Here's the thing about Uematsu's music.
Uematsu writes his songs as companions to the scenarios they appear in. Without scenes and worlds that draw out emotions from the players, the songs are just simple songs.
So the problem here isn't with Uematsu's music, so much as it is the drab world it accompanies.
I mean, I can't help but feel a little silly listening to the battle music in this game while I'm fighting a dodo. Especially if it's during a levequest and the one I'm fighting runs away.