Wildflower

Keiko Matsui, ???? | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 24, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Narada
• ASIN: B0001BKAEO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,196 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In a word: WOW!!!, April 2, 2004

By 

J. R. SOUTH (Albany, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wildflower (Audio CD)

Although I'm a huge fan of Keiko's indescribably unique and beautiful music, I have not honestly enjoyed any of her CD's since 1998's "Full Moon and the Shrine". "Deep Blue" and "The Ring" were just too easy-listening for me. I found them too placid and new-agey to even listen to before going to sleep.

"Wildflower" was a gift that I inserted in my player with great trepidation, all for naught. Holy Toledo, is this collection magnificently different!!! It reminds me of "Dreamwalk", but has whole new facets of staggering rhythms, electronica, voices, and the most evocative melodies KM has ever written. Truly, the songs on this collection are paintings in sound. I'm listening to "Wildflower" right now as I write this, and the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up and doing fleur-jetes!

I'd also like to add that I met Keiko after one of her sold-out performances, and a kinder, more open and conversational, gracious celebrity does not exist.

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Matsui is music for the masses!, April 11, 2004

By 

Rock Dust (Davenport, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wildflower (Audio CD)

First, how does one describe the music of Keiko Matsui? Well, you will most likely find her music in the Jazz or New Age (gag!) section at your local music store, but I have found her cd's in the Pop/Rock section as well. This is because it's hard to catagorize her music. On the most part, she is generally classified as a "Smooth Jazz" artist. What's ironic is that I hate the genre known as Smooth Jazz. I would rather listen to traditional jazz any day of the week than the crap that the Smooth Jazz genre has to offer (with the exception of Matsui, of course).

What makes Matsui different that the typical Smooth Jazz artist? While mostly jazz, she expands her compositions by fusing them with aspects of rock, pop, classical, and electronica. There also seems to be a style in her compositions that is not typically found in other Smooth Jazz artists. From virtually all the other Smooth Jazz I've heard, a song will have the same flow from start to finish. If you're lucky, you may hear a solo or some lifeless transition in between. Not so with Matsui. You can most likely EXPECT dramatic changes throughout a composition. The song may start slow, but always builds to a dramatic climax and finish...kind of like having sex! ;) Even her ballads have more life and are more moving than most other Smooth Jazz compositions. It is not wise to skip over a Keiko Matsui song that you may find boring at the start because you may miss out on something good in the middle. With most Smooth Jazz, I've found if you don't like it at the beginning, it isn't going to get better.

Finally, on to "Wildflower"! First, I would recommend that you listen to it on a good stereo system. The first few times I listened to it, I was in my car. Granted, I loved it, but I was in awe when I finally got to hear it on the home system. Wow! There is a lot of depth in the soundstage that is hard to recognize when listening to it with inadequate speakers.

I may be a bit biased about this album because I'm a big fan of electronica and this album is a nice mix of electronica and Keiko's typical melody-driven jazz style of piano. Although she is known to use electronics in her music, this definitlely incorporates more of the electronica sound. I was amazed at how well the sounds blended so seamlessly with a real piano although I suspect some parts of Keiko's piano was sampled and looped. I should also mention that not all the drumming is programmed. There is a lot of real drumming which breaks up the monotony that can sometimes plague programmed music.

The production (produced by her husband, Kazu) is amazing. Although heavy in electronics, it is not at all overbearing and does not drown out Keiko's piano playing. Unlike some of Keiko's horn driven compositions, which I think can sometimes be overbearing, the electronics complement her piano beautifully.

Also, as I had already mentioned, the depth of the soundstage is incredible at times. Some ambient electronic sounds surround you with more prevalent sounds up front and center with a few blips and bleeps at your sides all the while Keiko plays for you in the background. Does this sound messy? Not at all! It's incredible.

I highly recommend this cd to anyone who is tired of hearing the same dull stuff on the radio day in and day out. Better yet, see Keiko in concert. She tours almost every year. You will be amazed at the energy this little Japanese woman can put forth. Anyone who's heard the "Blue's Jam" (which she composed, by the way!) at the end will know what I'm talking about! Keiko Matsui's music is no "department store jazz"...commonly known as "Smooth Jazz".

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Change is good, March 11, 2004

By 

Matt Jungman (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wildflower (Audio CD)

When I first bought this CD, I thought it would be like a continuation of Deep Blue or The Ring--mostly new age music with jazz flavor. NOT! This music has way more energy than any other of Keiko's. It sounds like a mix between techno, funk and jazz. It's just too bad that amazon has to be so stingy with demos; they don't give anything interesting about the songs. What a great album--I look forward to the concert at the One World Theater soon.