[.ca] Wildflower

Vomit:
In a word...vomit. I had the misfortune of paying a fair amount of money to see her in concert a few month's ago. I now assume the concert was to promote this new album. She's apparently SOLD OUT and tried to cross over. Some guy in tight leather pants and a alto/soprano stage cavorting on stage? Come on! Apparently the new age (small jazz influences) weren't selling enough records, so she had to sell out and make more $$$ for her record company. Horrible. Don't support this rubbish. Save your money.

Thanks For The Introduction To Mehdi:
I've always enjoyed Keiko Matsui and this album is no exception, but while reading some of the customer recommendations posted on this page I discovered an artist by the name of Mehdi (pronounced meddie). After some investigation I found his site (SoothingMusic.Com) and listened to the samples...I was instantly blown away by the quality of this music and so I gave it a try and now that I have listened to his CDs several times I really must say that although I'm still a Keiko Matsui fan I find Mehdi to be a tad more interesting. I have them both in my multi-disc CD player and love the way they compliment each other. I highly recommend that you give this artist a try or atleast just go listen to the samples, I have a feeling you'll be glad you did.

Matsui is music for the masses!:
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".

In a word: WOW!!!:
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.

A logical step...:
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!

• Flashback
• Facing Up
• Sense of a Journey
• Brand New Wind
• Eldest of All
• Reflections
• White Castle
• Temple of Life
• Seeker
• Stone Circle
• Wildflower