Amazon.com From the first blanket of choral voices awash in reverb, Amarantine is instantly 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 stood still. The triumvirate of Enya, lyricist Roma Ryan, and producer Nicky Ryan work the formula they perfected on Watermark, layering her voice in lush choirs pushed along by pizzicato synth strings, swooning orchestral pads, and harpsichord arpeggios. On tracks like "Less Than a Pearl" and "Drifting," Enya flirts with a timeless sound born in gothic chants and hymns. The former is one of three songs that she sings in Roma Ryan's fictitious language of Loxian. It seems to free her, especially on "The River Sings," a veritable rave-up where she gets the tribal choir going in the style of Scottish mouth music. But to get there you have to slog through slo-mo ballads that manage to be dirge-like and singsong at the same time, like the Carpenters on Quaaludes. The relatively restrained arrangement of "It's in the Rain" almost attains a folk-like simplicity that Enya hasn't experienced since she sang with her siblings in Clannad a quarter-century ago. Amarantine sounds like it was born in cloistered solitude, self-referentially echoing Enya albums past. --John Diliberto
More Enya
The Celts
Watermark
Shepherd Moons
The Memory of Trees
A Day Without Rain
Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya
Album Description The first album in five years from Enya follows the biggest-selling album of her illustrious career, the six-times platinum A Day Without Rain, which transcended all commercial expectations. Having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, Enya is one of the most successful female artists of all time and second only to U2 as the biggest selling Irish artist in history.
Album Description Japanese two-disc pressing features her 2005 album coupled with a Christmas EP. Warner. 2006.
Customer Reviews:
Enya SupremeJanuary 6, 2009 Kathleen Casler(Lowell MI) While occasionaly criticied for the "sameness" of her sound, when it is this good, why not? There is not the duplication one finds on several of her other CDs. All new...all good. A gifted voice for all to enjoy. Easy listening.
I woke up with a generous heart todayNovember 13, 2008 Medusa(Troy, MI) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was curious about Enya when I first heard of her; due to my love to U2's music and knowing that Enya became Irland's second biggest musical export after U2 (she's from Irland, such a bad stereotype on my part).
There's no way one's can deny her beautiful voice and remarkable style, but I came to think that all her music has the same redundant theme when it comes to lyrics or music. This album reached the top 10 in both the UK and the US, peaked at number 3 in Germany, won the Grammy award for best new age album for 2007, and I'm in disbelief and trying to understand what is so special about this album.
The reason I'm giving it three stars is that she is a hard working artist with glorious presence on the stage(at least she's not winking at the audience and acting cheesy like il Divo boys). With the inimitable style she has, maybe it is expected to have a theme in all her albums, but the lyrics of this album don't measure up to the standards she had in her other albums and they are either too repetitive and empty or just beyond my mental capacity. I'll go with the first choice; the lyrics are repetitive and empty.
A Wonderful AdditionOctober 11, 2008 R. Albright 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have listened to Enya's Music since Watermark and I love every Album she has come out with. Amarantine is a wonderful piece of Art, making up a new language is the coolest part of this album. Not to be mean to others, but there are wrong when they say that this her worest album yet!!!
Love this MusicAugust 29, 2008 J. Lucas 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is my favorite Enya music for a long time. I enjoy all her sounds, but this album is special. It's really her best for a long time. I recommend this CD.
Enya Amarantine CDJuly 29, 2008 Froglady(Rhode Island) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm very pleased, not only with the price for the "slightly used/not new" CD but for the voice quality and sound of this Enya CD.
