Customer Reviews

Wildflower

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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".

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.

Over the last 16 years female pianist have been slowly but, surely been making it quite well here in the United States but, sadly Keiko is still under the radar......You'd think how this album came out a few years after the grammy's gave big hoopla over Alica Keys that finally Keiko would get some recognition...but, alas no. Guess if you don't mix a bit of hip hop or be moody like Fiona you're just not going to catch on here.... This is a great album has that japanese jazz flow that can be found in parts of the armitage soundtracks yet, theres some touches of traditional jazz piano here too even though the synth's in this may at points mislead you into thinking this album is some sort of new age music but, alas it's not. Think more of it as Micheal-Jarre if he was to play the piano on his lp's.....This is a good album to give a whirl if you're not familer with Keiko....You'll be pleasently surprised by how often you'll find your self listening to this album...

Wildflower is a wonderful release. On this new release Keiko has added more electronic loops and sounds to pad her piano explorations. It is a nice combination and a wonderful step towards her growth as an artist and musician. I have several CD's from Keiko and this one is now my fave. Subtle and sublime... just the way I like it!

An impressive CD that works on many levels. I do not hesitate to put this CD on when friends are over - it creates a great ambience. Though it is not intrusive, guests will take notice of it and may even ask what you have on. I can't quite classify it as "jazz" or "new age" -- much of it is quite mellow. Yet my favorite track, "Eldest of All", just explodes with virtuoso emotion and demands closer attention. Keiko Matsui is extraordinarily talented and she's a pleasure to listen to. Another winner from Narada!

I've been listening to jazz for over thirty years and I can honestly say that the song "Reflections" found on this outstanding album is undoubtedly my favorite jazz composition of all time. The classical tone, the hypnotic rhythms, the brilliant and complex intonations and inflections and the beautiful, subtle background sounds make this a song that can, like a classical piece, be listened to over and over again with a new discovery being made on each listening. And it never fails to bring on a calm, joyful mood each time I listen to it, never losing its appeal. I would have gladly paid the full price of this CD for this one song alone. Absolutely brilliant!

Love most of Keiko's stuff and this one did not disappoint. Got quickly and have listened to already. Very good!

Keiko and her co-artists, fuse so many different creative elements together...you have to hear it to experience it. This is passionate expression with performances at a level of clarity that creates a new jazz paradigm.

This is the first album by Keiko Matsui that I tried and I really enjoy her music. It is easily in the top 100 of everything I have listened to in the last 10 years. The only thing I think is missing from the album is some intensity. I think she could make the music stand out more if it were more intense especially those melodies that were not slow. Other than that this stuff is really good.