Enya is one of the great veterans of the British music industry. She has rarely appeared in the charts (with the exception of a brief stint at No1 with 'Anywhere Is' in the 90s) and yet has been producing music of a consistently exceptional quality for several decades. How can I describe her voice without doing it an injustice? She possesses a haunting, smooth register that immediately relaxes the listener and sounds sufficiently 'other worldly' to transport you away from the hum-drum world in which we live.
If you have never heard Enya before, I would definitely recommend buying this CD first as it is clearly the best; although I own all of her music, it is evident that she has improved with age and Amarantine represents something of a tour de force.
The tracks swing wildly from the soaring, majestic sound of the first song (Less than a pearl) to the more sedate, ethereal pleasantry of the eleventh (Amid the falling snow). Some of the tracks are encouraging, urging you to feel better about things and get on with life (Track 6 - Long, Long Journey) while others simply instill within you the firm belief that everything is truly wonderful (Track 3 - It's in the Rain). In fact, the music drags you through such a range of emotions and themes that, by the time the CD ends, you have utterly forgotten who you are, what you were doing, where you were going and why. The wonderful thing about it is, that you don't really care any more.
It is hard to say when you should listen to Enya; she lacks the upbeat tempo of 'getting ready' music, is not suicidal enough for 'just split-up' music and doesn't swear enough for 'I'm really pissed-off' music. So, for the sake of informing you, I'll class her as 'old-fashioned dinner' or 'I've had a really shite day and I need to relax in front of the fire with a bath of hot chocolate' music.
Full Track Listing:
1. Less Than A Pearl 2. Amarantine 3. It's In The Rain 4. If I Could Be Where You Are 5. The River Sings 6. Long Long Journey 7. Sumiregusa 8. Someone Said Goodbye 9. A Moment Lost 10. Drifting 11. Amid The Falling Snow 12. Water Shows The Hidden Heart
I bought my copy last year for £9.99 in HMV but, for information, the current Amazon price is £12.99 - HOWEVER, I know for a fact that most places charge less than that.
In conclusion, Enya is always a relaxing, heart-warming, enthusing and beguiling performer and this current album is a return to top-form.
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How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Good
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Amarantine - Enya
From the first blanket of choral voices awash in reverb, Amarantine is instantly
... more
recognizable as a product of Enya, the Irish chanteuse who has created a genre unto herself. Although it's been five years since her last CD, on Amarantine it's as if time...
recognizable as a product of Enya, the Irish chanteuse who has created a genre unto herself. The triumvirate of Enya, lyricist Roma Ryan and producer Nicky Ryan work the f...
Amarantine -
From the first blanket of choral voices awash in reverb,Amarantineis instantly
... more
recognizable as a product of Enya, the Irish chanteuse who has created a genre unto herself. Although it's been five years since her last CD, onAmarantineit's as if time sto...
