http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drp400/p469/p46970wgzgo.jpg

 

Enya

 

Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine & William Ruhlmann

 

With her blend of folk melodies, synthesized backdrops, and classical motifs, Enya created a distinctive style that more closely resembled new age than the folk and Celtic music that provided her initial influences. Enya is from Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland, which she left in 1980 to join the Irish band Clannad, the group that already featured her older brothers and sisters. She stayed with Clannad for two years, then left, hooking up with producer Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan, with whom she recorded film and television scores. The result was a successful album of TV music for the BBC. Enya then recorded Watermark (1988), which featured her distinctive, flowing music and multi-overdubbed trancelike singing; the album sold four million copies worldwide. Watermark established Enya as an international star and launched a successful career that lasted well into the '90s.

 

Enya (born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin) was born into a musical family. Her father, Leo Brennan, was the leader of the Slieve Foy Band, a popular Irish show band; her mother was an amateur musician. Most important to Enya's career were her siblings, who formed Clannad in 1976 with several of their uncles. Enya joined the band as a keyboardist in 1979 and contributed to several of the group's popular television soundtracks. In 1982, she left Clannad, claiming that she was uninterested in following the pop direction the group had begun to pursue. Within a few years, she was commissioned, along with producer/arranger Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan, to provide the score for a BBC-TV series called The Celts. The soundtrack was released in 1986 as her eponymous solo album.

 

Enya didn't receive much notice, but Enya and the Ryans' second effort, Watermark, became a surprise hit upon its release in 1988. "Orinoco Flow," the first single, became a number one hit in Britain, helping the album eventually sell eight million copies worldwide. Enya spent the years following the success of Watermark rather quietly; her most notable appearance was a cameo on Sinéad O'Connor's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. She finally released Shepherd Moons, her follow-up to Watermark, in 1991. Shepherd Moons was even more successful than its predecessor, eventually selling over ten million copies worldwide; it entered the U.S. charts at number 17 and remained in the Top 200 for almost four years.

 

Again, Enya was slow to follow up on the success of Shepherd Moons, spending nearly four years working on her fourth album. The record, entitled Memory of Trees, was released in December 1995. Memory of Trees entered the U.S. charts at number nine and sold over two million copies within its first year of release. In 1997 came the release of a greatest-hits collection, Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya, which featured two new songs. Enya's first album of new material in five years, Day Without Rain, was released in late 2000. In 2002, she contributed material to the first film in Peter Jackson's award-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, scoring a hit with the single "May It Be." Amarantine, her first full-length recording since Day Without Rain, followed in November 2005. A holiday EP, Christmas Secrets, arrived in 2006.

 

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd100/d150/d15068c18x8.jpg

 

The Celts (1987)

3 Stars

 

Review by Ned Raggett

 

Initially released simply as Enya, The Celts shows that the style she became famous for on Watermark was already well under way. With production and lyrical help fully in place thanks to her husband-and-wife gurus Nicky and Roma Ryan, Enya's combination of Celtic traditionalism and distinctly modern approach finds lush flower here. All the elements that characterize her music — open, clear nods to her Irish heritage, any number of vocal overdubs to create an echoing, haunting feeling, and layers of synth and electronic percussion — can be found almost track for track. The flip side is that those who find such a combination to be gloopy mush won't be at all convinced further by her work here. It's understandable why folk music traditionalists and anti-mainstream types would get the hives, but those not coming from that angle will find much that's rewarding. Given that The Celts is a commissioned piece of work, it actually stands on its own quite well. The charging surge of the title track functions both as a fine introduction and its own stirring, quietly powerful anthem, a good sign for the rest of the album. There are a couple of slight missteps — an electric guitar solo disrupts the string-and-vocal flow of the truly lovely "I Want Tomorrow," for instance. Generally, though, her musical instincts serve her very well, with many striking highlights. The appropriately three-part "Triad" showcases her ear for vocal work excellently, while both versions of "To Go Beyond," especially the second, which closes the disc with an exquisite extra string part, also are worthy of note.

 

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf500/f550/f55090pph7b.jpg

 

Watermark (1988)

5 Stars

 

Review by Ned Raggett

 

Thanks to its distinct, downright catchy single "Orinoco Flow," which amusingly referenced both her record company boss Rob Dickins and co-producer Ross Cullum in the lyrics, Enya's second album Watermark established her as the unexpected queen of gentle, Celtic-tinged new age music. To be sure, her success was as much due to marketing a niche audience in later years equally in love with Yanni and Michael Flatley's Irish dancing, but Enya's rarely given a sense of pandering in her work. She does what she does, just as she did before her fame. Admittedly, avoiding overblown concerts run constantly on PBS hasn't hurt. Indeed, the subtlety that characterizes her work at her best dominates Watermark, with the lovely title track, her multi-tracked voice gently swooping among the lead piano, and strings like a softly haunting ghost, as fine an example as any. "Orinoco Flow" itself, for all its implicit dramatics, gently charges instead of piling things on, while the organ-led "On Your Shore" feels like a hushed church piece. Elsewhere, meanwhile, Enya lets in a darkness not overly present on The Celts, resulting in work even more appropriate for a moody soundtrack than that album. "Cursum Perficio," with her steady chanting-via-overdub of the title phrase, gets more sweeping and passionate as the song progresses, matched in slightly calmer results with the equally compelling "The Longships." "Storms in Africa," meanwhile, uses drums from Chris Hughes to add to the understated, evocative fire of the song, which certainly lives up to its name. Watermark ends with a fascinating piece, "Na Laetha Geal M'Oige," where fellow Irish modern/traditional fusion artist Davy Spillane adds a gripping, heartbreaking uilleann pipe solo to the otherwise calm synth-based performance. It's a perfect combination of timelessness and technology, an appropriate end to this fine album.

 

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf500/f550/f55073icfkw.jpg

 

Shepherd Moons (Nov 1991) (edited for title error) :)

4.5 Stars

 

Review by Ned Raggett

 

Calling Shepherd Moons a near carbon copy of Watermark puts it quite mildly. Like Watermark, Shepherd Moons opens with the title track, a calm instrumental, has another brief instrumental titled after a Dora Saint book smack in the middle ("No Holly for Miss Quinn"), and concludes with a number incorporating a striking uilleann pipes solo, "Smaointe...." In general, Enya's own musical style and work remains the same, again assisted on production by Nicky Ryan and with lyrics by Roma Ryan. Shepherd Moons does have one key factor that's also carried over from Watermark — it's quite good listening. Though the total continuity means that those who enjoy her work will again be pleased and those who dislike it won't change their minds, in terms of finding her own vision and sticking with it, Enya has increasingly polished and refined her work to a strong, elegant degree. "Caribbean Blue," the lead single, avoids repeating the successful formula of "Orinoco Flow" by means of its waltz time — a subtle enough change, but one that colors and drives the overall composition and performance, the closest Enya might ever get to a dance number. Some songs call to mind traditional Irish music even more strongly than much of her earlier work, while two other tracks are haunting rearrangements of old, traditional numbers. With her trademark understated drama in full flow many other places, especially on the wonderful "Book of Days" (replaced on later pressings with an English language version done for the film Far and Away), Enya shows herself to still have it, to grand effect.

Edited February 18, 200719 yr by On Your Shore

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd500/d573/d57304880ul.jpg

 

The Memory of Trees (Dec 5, 1995)

3 Stars

 

Review by Rick Anderson

 

No surprises here, of course — Enya didn't achieve new age superstardom by challenging anyone's expectations. This album is every bit as hushed, lovely, and soulless as everything else she's ever done; like a perfect angel food cake, it's sweet, soft, and utterly lacking in nutritive substance. There's nothing the matter with angel food cake, of course, and there's also nothing really the matter with The Memory of Trees, though its Druidic theme does smell awfully trendy (nothing was quite so hip as neopaganism in 1995), and it steers so strictly the same melodic and textural course she's been following throughout her solo career that you're tempted to wonder why anyone would want to spend the money on what amounts to a complete rehash of her earlier work. While other cultural influences play a greater part in this album, the beautiful and brooding Celtic melodies she brought with her from her earlier work with Clannad are still the primary raw materials, and her skillful use of them is still the main thing that sets her apart from the new age pack. She also has a truly lovely voice, and there's no point trying to resist the gentle charm of "China Roses" and the incantatory power of "Anywhere Is." But so little of the album lives up to the promise of these and one or two other tracks that it's hard to recommend it very enthusiastically.

 

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dre300/e329/e329242wo3n.jpg

 

A Day Without Rain (Nov 21, 2000)

3 Stars

 

Review by William Ruhlmann

 

Enya's first full-length album of new material in five years (and her fourth in 12 years) will have a familiar sound to the millions who have followed her career so far. As usual, the slow songs sound like "Silent Night" being performed in a cathedral, and the less slow songs are paced by rhythm patterns that would be called pizzicato passages if they were being played on real strings instead of string-like synthesizers. Over the music, Enya sings in her multi-tracked, ethereal voice, making Roma Ryan's lyrics, which are full of pastoral imagery and abstract romantic sentiments, seem even more insubstantial than they already are. In the press materials accompanying the release, Enya explains why it took her five years to come up with less than 34 and a half minutes of music that sounds like most of her earlier music by noting that she plays all the instruments and does all the singing herself without using samples. It might be more accurate to say that there is no need for her to release albums any more frequently than she does, since each one sells over a long period of time. And since her listeners are more concerned with the mood she sets than with musical content, the similarity to her other albums is a good thing. This is music that works almost entirely as a surface pleasure; strip it of its pretensions, and it's just contemporary easy listening music.

 

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drh100/h103/h10390dwslv.jpg

 

Amarantine (Nov 22, 2005)

3.5 Stars

 

Review by James Christopher Monger

 

Second only to U2 as the most successful Irish recording artist of all time, Enya has built an empire out of multi-tracking her beautiful voice over the same keyboard patches that appeared on her post-Clannad debut since 1987. It's an empire that has progressed at a slow burn, peaking in 2000 and 2001 with her chart-topping ballad and unofficial post-September 11th anthem, "Only Time." Amarantine, Enya's first full-length album in five years, builds on her reputation as the world's premier purveyor of audio comfort food, providing another collection of mini-soundtracks that are often as awkward in their earnestness as they are breathtaking in their production. Boasting 12 new songs that retain the tapestry of sound that is her trademark, while stealthily stripping it of some of its excess, Enya has managed to both repeat herself and move forward without losing anything in the translation. Besides the swirling, "Ebudae"-esque "The River Sings," Enya, lyricist Roma Ryan, and producer Nicky Ryan have crafted the most subtle record of their careers, a move that may alienate some Watermark-era purists. Standout tracks like "Long, Long Journey," "Water Shows the Hidden Heart," and the gorgeous — but lyrically embarrassing — title cut show a newfound understanding of the simple power of Enya's voice, resulting in an intimacy that's eluded previous releases. While Amarantine will do nothing to win over the wrongly pegged new age artist's many detractors, longtime fans will find enough moments of serendipitous pleasure to hold them over for another five years.

 

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd000/d012/d012406vkk0.jpg

 

Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya (Nov 11, 1997)

5 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya is an excellent 16-song overview of Enya's career, containing 14 selections from The Celts, Watermark, Shepherd Moon, and The Memory of Trees — including "Caribbean Blue," "Anywhere Is," "Marble Halls," "Book of Days," and, of course, "Orinoco Flow" — as well as two previously unreleased songs ("Only If...," "Paint the Sky with Stars") that fit comfortably with her past work. Although Enya is, in many ways, an album artist that creates a mood and sustains it through the course of one disc, this is a fine sampler for listeners who only want the hits and highlights.

 

 

Eh..reading these over, I agree with some things..but giving TMOT, ADWR, and Amarantine three stars? That's a no go right there. :P The Celts, I would say is average for me, but there are at least two great songs there (I Want Tomorrow and Boadicea)..and there's the comparison of Ebudae to TRS again: "Besides the swirling, "Ebudae"-esque "The River Sings"..they really need to cut that out because I'm not seeing it. -_- I refuse. :lol: What they said about Na Laetha Geal M'Oige is spot on, that is a great song. :wub: It's perfect..I'm not sure if I would agree that SM is another Watermark..I see some common elements, but it's not a carbon copy..ah, reviews..all subjective. :P

Edited February 18, 200719 yr by On Your Shore

I agree with what you say, On Your Shore, except that I think TRS does sound a little like Ebudae *ducks head*.

Shepherd Moons is not a "carbon copy" of Watermark. It has a whole different feel to it. -_- And though it isn't my favorite, TMOT definitely deserves more than three stars! :angry: At least four. But the worst is three stars for ADWR? What was that person thinking? :huh:

But the person who reviewed Shepherd Moons and Watermark I agree with mostly. But anyway, it's interesting to read the reviews. Thanks for posting them, thisispop! :)

I think ADWR deserves five stars..some of Enya's best work is on there. :wub: Can I ask what it is that makes TRS sound like Ebudae? I can't hear it. :lol: For me, Ebudae is more subdued, kind of almost sad..I love that song to death, of course..maybe I'm biased..and TRS, that song is upbeat to me..kind of the polar opposite of Ebudae..I don't know..I'm very biased here. :lol: I'm not very fond of TRS, I admit.

:lol: Well, I think it's the beat, the rhythm. And the kind of dark intonation sounds made (ebudaelbehebeyoudebe, etc.). Really, all the intonation sounds Enya did lead up to the invention of Loxian, so one could say she's singing in Loxian on Ebudae. But other than that, you're right. Ebudae has more of a melancholy to it, while The River Sings sounds more like it's mad or something. :lol:

I kind of see where they come from with the Watermark/Shepherd Moons thing... as the songs are in a similar order and of similar speed and stuff. Watermark/Shepherd Moons, Cursum Perficio/Caribbean Blue, HCIKFS/On Your Shore and so on - but they're both amazing albums. :wub:

Hmm, you're right about that. But I think they're different enough that it doesn't take away from them. Anyway, they're two of my favorite albums. :D

Oh, Watermark and SM are my favorites, too. :wub: Masterpieces, if you ask me. :wub:

I THINK THIS TOPIC SHOULD Be pinned,what u think?

Hmm it would be useful, but we have LOADS of threads already pinned. I'll have a look later and ask On Your Shore and see what she thinks about maybe unpinning a few. :funky:

THATS FAIR ENOUGH i understand you dpont wants loads of pinned material either

Hmm it would be useful, but we have LOADS of threads already pinned. I'll have a look later and ask On Your Shore and see what she thinks about maybe unpinning a few. :funky:

 

Which ones do you have in mind to unpin? I'll check and see if there is anything.

 

Edit: I unpinned the "songs not by Enya" thread and the link to buzzjack backup because I think everyone here knows that link by now..and I pinned this up there. :) I hope that's okay with everyone. :)

Edited February 22, 200719 yr by On Your Shore

Ahh good, the BJBU one was the one I had in mind and the other one didn't generate much interest. :lol: It looks quite a bit neater now actually. ^_^