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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A move in a "Keiko" direction!, July 23, 2001
One of the main reasons why I became a Keiko Matsui fan was her ability to create a "new and inovative" sound. With the release of her latest, "Deep Blue", she does NOT disappoint!Personally, for all of her works that I own, this CD seems to embody her most spirtually and artistically moving tracks ever! Although Keiko's been making "hits" since the mid-80's that I know about, it's just now that she's hitting her commercial strides and that's exciting. Blending her Eastern mysticism together with soulful and heartfelt melodies, she'll continue to climb the charts and repeat as female artist of the year as she did in 2000! I haven't yet decided which is my favorite track on this CD, but I've listened to "Across The Sun" about 100 times already, with the title track, "Deep Blue", running a close second. Personally, if you're looking for rest and relaxation from you music sources, stop here and take a listen. If you're looking for the continued growth of this Japanese composer/keyboardist, Keiko Matsui....you'll find it in this CD! Make this one a part of your collection!
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delicate, inspired piano playing stands out -- at last!, December 4, 2001
I was relieved when Keiko Matsui finally began to move away from her chosen light jazz sound on Whisper From the Mirror. I am a big fan of electronic/space music (and that category of "New Age" music) so I really enjoyed Whisper. But ultimately it is Matsui's incredible, sensitive, subtly adventurous piano playing that is her distinctive quality --in WHATEVER genre you want to "pigeon-hole" her-- and is what drew me to her music. I know the light jazz sound that has characterized most of her albums has commercial appeal, and her catchy melodies are still far more distinctive than most anything by, say, David Sanborn and the like, but given the SPIRITUAL quality of her piano playing (quite evident by the way on her husband Kazu Matsui's album, Tribal Mozart) I continue to long for a solo album by Keiko Matsui, such as the legendary ones by Keith Jarrett. Until then, Deep Blue gives us an indication of what that might be like--and of the serious jazz Ms. Matsui is capable of.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly flawed, but still worth your time., September 8, 2001
Keiko Matsui's music does not truly fit under the label of jazz -- it would be more appropriately labled new age. While there are hints of jazz influence in her work, and if you really stretched it you could call it a mix of fusion and smooth jazz, it still has much more in common with new age. This, however, does not diminish the fact that her music is still entertaining and worth your while.While each track can stand on it's own and be very listenable, when put together one after another they seem somewhat repetitive. Thus, this CD is best used as background music. Several of the melodies are very memorable and you can hum them for days after listening, while others just fade from memory immediately after. Notable tracks for me are "Deep Blue", "Across The Sun", and "Mystic Dance." Don't misunderstand however, I do like this CD -- it's great mood music, and the above tracks stand out more than most new age I've heard. The recording quality is wonderful, the album art is fitting, and there aren't any exceptionally bad tracks. It's just been mislabled as jazz, and some tracks sound a little too much like the others on the disc, which is something of a shame. If there were some more variety this CD could have really shone -- as it stands, it's an above-average new age CD that is still worth a listen.
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by Keiko Matsui 
