2022 reissue, originally released in 2003 - Deep river is an album which holds a fair bit of significance. After all, it is the album which features the song that catapulted Hikaru Utada onto American and European radars: "Hikari" ( better known to many of us as "Simple and clean"). It's also the album where the Hikaru Utada we know and love now began to truly emerge; bringing forth to the table what many other J-Pop artists were failing to: songs of substance without following a popular trend.
Amongst a Japanese soundscape where many female acts were either sounding the same, or beginning to jump on the US R&B bandwagon, Hikaru took her art in the other direction. Deep river draws with its sweeping, organic and heart felt sound - a departure from the templated electronic commercial sound of Hikaru's Distance album.
| A1 | Sakuraドロップス |
| A2 | Traveling |
| A3 | 幸せになろう |
| B1 | Deep River |
| B2 | Letters |
| B3 | プレイ・ボール |
| C1 | 東京Nights |
| C2 | A.S.A.P. |
| C3 | 嘘みたいなI Love You |
| D1 | Final Distance |
| D2 | Bridge (Interlude) |
| D3 | 光 |
| D4 | Simple And Clean |
