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Keiko Matsui's Whisper from the Mirror is not identified as a theme-based project, yet it's hard not to be caught up in the cohesion and storytelling progression. A mix of classical, jazz, and New Age elements, Matsui's 10th studio project is an all-instrumental, piano-centered affair that has the feel of soundtrack, only it's left for the listener to fill in the blanks. Matsui's melodramatic flourishes are kept earthbound by a subtle, urban-tribal rhythmic base that attractively threads its way through the project. Jazz fans may feel that she sometimes sticks too close to the white keys (some comparisons to Yanni might surface here), yet the recording's rewards reach listeners in more sublime ways, such as on the heart-touching, gently propulsive "Torches on the Earth" and "Beyond the Light." The disc takes its jazziest turn on the final cut, when Bob James joins Matusi at the piano for a four-handed "Ever After." For listeners attracted to the more mystical elements in Matsui's music, Whisper from the Mirror is a voice worth heeding. --Terry Wood