Stop the laughter. Now. Yes, I like this album. No, I am not a wimp or a freak or even a New Age music fan at all. What I am is a connoisseur of all great things in music (except country twang of course). Enya makes some wonderful sounding music. Even if you love nine inch nails, Linkin Park, Britney Spears, Tupac Shakur or Garth Brooks, you should be able to recognize boundary-breaking great music.
I did just call Enya great. Sure, it pains me to admit to my infatuation in a public forum. But I have to also be truthful. What she sings about evokes great emotion, great pride, and great reverence. Enya’s voice is wonderful and ethereal. Since leaving Clannad and striking out on her own in the early 1980’s, Enya (Irish born as Eithne Ní Bhraonáin) continues to shine.
Despite her self-titled solo album, initially meant as a soundtrack to a BBC Celtic series, barely getting any attention at all, it enabled her to release her second album. Upon it’s release in 1988, Watermark became a worldwide hit. The single ”Orinoco Flow” of course helped this to happen and for the album to go on to sell over 8 million copies of the album. She spent the next few years in relative seclusion.
The release of 1991’s Shepherd Moons led the songstress and her longtime collaborator and producer Nicky Ryan to even further success. The album had no standout singles, but somehow managed to sell over ten (yes, TEN) million copies and stayed on the Billboard Charts for over four years. In addition, the album won a Grammy. Not bad for a little New Age singin’ girl from Ireland.
The Memory Of Trees also went platinum, selling over 2 million albums in the first year alone (it was released in 1995). Enya released a greatest hits compilation in 1997 titled Paint the Sky with Stars that featured two brand new tracks. Most recently, the duo released 2000’s Day Without Rain.
Enya isn’t known for hit singles. Rather, the albums are completely inclusive and assembled like a master painter assembles a completed canvas. You can’t dance to the finished product nor can you sing the words. Rather, the listener is charged with the task of understanding. You listen to the sounds and the layers, and in doing so an alternate Universe of light and shadows is created. Enya enables listeners to feel rather than to have the feelings laid out in neatly organized verses. The words are not important as the sounds and musical structures are the main element of the songs. Enya’s voice is just another music element along side booming thunder and rain.
Back to the topic at hand. Shepherd Moons is a personal favorite of mine. Sure my little generic mind usually reaches for the skip button with songs like Enya’s, but in this case it appears to be something more than just a wee bit special. To call this music only “special” would be like calling Brad Pitt moderately good looking (yeah, I know that’s a sad analogy).
As the album begins, the listener is whisked away to a land where only the angelic sound of Enya’s voice and a delicate piano matter. ”Shepherd Moons” is a song of apparent hope. It’s uplifting, yet tranquil and soft. It winds itself around the heart and buries its notes deep into the psyche. Don’t automatically assume that Enya is crap based on its category. This song and all the rest are mini-masterpieces all contributing to the beautiful whole of the album.
On a wave of emotion, the mystical ”Caribbean Blue” is yet another absolutely gorgeous example of music. The actual musical notes sing perfectly. They accent and drive Enya’s voice to perfection. The stringed instruments (presumably cello and violin among others) live up to my expectations and fly well beyond. This song whistles out to the listener, beckoning willing ears to join in the comfortable Blue. It’s hard to rank these songs by a grade or a number. They are all just so wonderfully brilliant.
Believe it or not, but ”How Can I Keep from Singing” is driven by an organ. It’s not often that I can take songs with an organ seriously. With Enya at the helm, this song feels like a complete and wonderful picture. Instead of Gaelic, this Enya sings in English. Despite this little change (she often uses both languages in the same song or just Gaelic), it’s unnecessary to learn the words. The entire flow and feel of this song is based on the voice, the emotion, and the instruments. Enya’s voice is delicately raw. She sings without borders.
The most ‘Celtic’ song on this album actually features bagpipes (a wonderful element for this Scottish girl). ”Ebduae” has relatively loud drums driving much of the song. These more pronounced features seem almost strange in conjunction with Enya’s light voice. As a whole, this is another amazing track. I prefer others to this one. In fact, when I fall asleep to this album, this track always wakes me up. Maybe that’s why it rubs me a bit raw.
Enya sings about angels in the appropriately titled ”Angeles”. She actually sounds like one of the mythical creatures while singing. As with other tracks on this album, the listener should feel uplifted and cleansed after hearing this track. It’s soft and sensual and tranquil. You can’t go wrong with a melodious song like this. To make this track even better, toward the end a beautiful clarinet solo ensues.
A lovely piano solo introduces ”No Holly For Miss Quinn”. A gentle aural masterpiece, this song proves to be a classic example of music from a truly gifted duo. It lifts the heart and head to very relaxed heights. As the only completely instrumental track, this song stands out as a shining example of greatness.
”Book of Days” is the single most uplifting track of this album. Keep in mind, all of these track are superb, but this one has great energy and a faster tempo. Enya encourages introspection and intelligent thought. This song is a perfect anthem in today’s busy and often unhappy world. Castanets, string instruments, pianos and French horns drive this song to perfection. Enya’s voice is the cherry, whipped cream, and nuts.
Beginning with a thunderstorm, ”Evacuee” sounds like an orchestral piece of music. It only morphs into a different area when Enya’s lovely voice lets out it’s first note. As with the other tracks here, the best way to appreciate this song is to close your eyes. Open your heart and mind, lay back, and think. I don’t want to sound corny, but this album will come to mean a lot to even the most casual listener.
”Lothlorien” is a synth-laden New Age track. This aspect immediately makes the song less interesting than some of the other songs. Although, that said, the melody of this track is lovely and uplifting and emotional. I admit that this is the worst (we’re talking 4/5 stars here, people) track of the album, but I also want to reiterate that this is one of the most lovely music experiences that you can have.
Enya returns with her priceless voice in ”Marble Halls”. Singing in English, this track sounds like something that could be in a Disney movie. The song actually sounds a bit like an uplifting fable. The tracks on this album are relatively short in comparison with songs on other albums. Why? The songs would wear themselves out and become repetitive if they were any lengthier. Great track.
A chorus of ethereal voices opens ”After Ventus” and continues as a musical instrument. Enya proves yet again that she can sing beautifully. As the 11th track on this album, the duo proves that as their work progresses it also strengthens. Some albums are skippable by the end tracks. This one beckons music lovers to continue listening.
”Smaointe” is the final track. It also feels like goodbye. Less uplifting, and somehow darker (despite my lack of Gaelic knowledge), this track wraps up Shepherd Moons perfectly. It’s soft and Enya’s voice is the most pronounced feature…something very different than with other songs where she is just another musical instrument.
As you can clearly tell, this is a perfect album. No songs detract from the overall quality of this album. I realize that some people are reluctant to purchase or even listen to music from Enya. If nothing else, buy this album (or Watermark) just to relax to, read to, or fall asleep to. You will soon fall in love with its magic, mystery, mysticism, and emotion.
I have no choice but to give this album 5/5 stars. Its wonderful, perfect, and worth every penny. I also recommend it to everybody. Not just New Age listeners or our ‘elders.’ No, it’s an album that every college kid should have for those more stressful times (nobody really knows what’s on your Discman). It’s an album perfect for Grandma to knit to. For road ragers, the soft notes would surely have a soothing effect. Finally, for those more intimate moment, it’s an album meant for love.
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