Musically, Deep River is widely noted by fans and critics as the transition state from Utada's earlier style, R&B, to ethereal pop.

Music critics praised Deep River's production and Utada's experimental approach to her sound.

To promote the album, Utada released four singles: "Final Distance," "Traveling," "Hikari" and "Sakura Drops / Letters."

[3][4] It also spawned a conga line of million-selling singles in Japan, with the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis produced "Addicted to You" becoming the most successful of the bunch.

[5] After finishing the record's promotional tour, Utada attended Columbia University, taking a leave of absence in January 2001.

[8] In January of the following year, she turned 19, and in February, she announced that she had signed an exclusive contract with the record label Island Def Jam in New York.

The record's production was temporarily halted when she was diagnosed with a benign ovarian tumour, which she successfully removed; she resumed work after recovering from surgery.

[10] Utada wrote and co-produced the majority of Deep River, but unlike Distance, she worked primarily with Japanese producers Akira Miyake and her father Teruzane.

I know I'm changing rapidly, so...."[12] Akira Miyake, who has been involved in the creation of Utada's music since her debut, attributes the increased pace of songwriting to "her budding professionalism.

[14] The musical compositions of Deep River is an evident departure from the templated Americanized R&B sound of Utada's blockbuster Distance album.

[15] The album is widely noted as the transition state from Utada's earlier style, R&B, to ethereal sounding pop music.

[15] The album opener "Sakura Drops" is a mid-tempo ballad inspired by the oriental flavor of "cherry blossoms" and the gentle feeling of the season, and the arrangement by Utada herself is particularly noteworthy, blending psychedelic tones naturally with an exotic, sweeping melody.

[16][17] Utada also noted that the "two-step, half-finished" beat is a fine example of the intense emotional ups and downs of the song.

[19] "Shiawase ni Narou" features a western approach to R&B music in its light tempo, with a simple and unrefined piano, and also quotes the melody of Beethoven's "Für Elise" in the latter half of the song.

It has also been pointed out that this is "a quotation as a foreshadowing of tragedy" since the background of the composition of "Für Elise" was "a love affair with an aristocratic lady that could not be fulfilled.

contains the sampling of bells that continues from the intro and the beat, which is hastened by heavy, thick strings, creating a suspicious cloudiness.

[21] "Uso Mitai na I Love You" is a hard rock number with the same melody used in part in "Simple & Clean," the English adaptation of the song "Hikari."

[23] In May 2000, Utada revealed on her official website that she liked Endo's The Sea and Poison and that she was in the process of reading Deep River again.

[29] The album's second single, "Traveling," was released on November 28, 2001, along with an additional DVD that included the music video and behind-the-scenes footage.

[39] Both songs received positive feedback and debuted at the top of the Oricon Singles Chart, earning the album's final double platinum certification from the RIAJ.

[11] EMI Music went on to release the album in several Asian countries, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

[66] All tracks are written by Hikaru UtadaPersonnel details were sourced from the Deep River liner notes booklet.