Enigma - Voyageur
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Free Music Notes for Voyageur
Free Music Review: Nice stuff, I want more of this new era enigma !!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
My nascent advent into the world of ambient/new age/world music has been a very pleasurable and mind opening experience. I tried Deep forest as well as Enigma, Deep forest being more down to earth, giving more of an earthy feel as it takes you to the heart of different continents, whereas Enigma is more outworldly, a quality much more prevalent in the CD's that came after "cross of changes". After repeatedly listening to the "greatest hits collection", it feels like enigma's first chapter is not the First 4 cds, but this new electronic feel to the music more prevalent in "Voyageur" started converging towards it much sooner after "cross of changes". So the first chapter ended with the first 2 CD's. I believe enigma evolved into the so called new enigma much sooner than voyageur.
My picks on this CD...
From East to west (Track 1, 5 stars)... The familiar Enigma intro signature tune with a nice aquatic soundscape. You feel like you are under water with the whales and dolphins in deep ocean but the ocean is gentle not stormy.
Voyageur: (Track 2, 4 stars) will grow on you. With Cretu' Digitally Synthesized jabbering, it's like being in a maze or a fog. Cool. The bass hammering is beautifully interspersed with the female (I believe sandra) whisphering. Nice layering of sounds with an aquatic treble damped quality, with bass on higher side than the treble. Kind of a like dolby sound. Again gives you an underwater feeling.
Page of cups: (Track 4, 5 stars) This is etheral stuff, with a beautiful gentle electronic sound coupled with funky groove and an aquatic dolby damped feel.
"Boum-Boum": (Track 5, 3 stars): poppish but I still like the feel of the music. Interspersed are the electronic techno samples. And sandra voice feels nice and refreshing.
In the shadow, In the light: (Track 8, 5 stars)...fanstastic stuff...If cretu's Digitally altered voice fits the music, this is the one.
Piano: (Track 10, 5 stars)...This a short beautiful peace...to be heard with the lights out and the curtains down, and let yourself slip away. Meditatively serene stuff.
Following the sun (Track 11, 4 stars)...Maybe Cretu could have chipped down on the "yay yay yay" shouting...but still not a bad one to close the compilation and offcourse we have our sandra cretu here ..familiar terrain.
Downers:
"Incognito"...not that good..feels more like techno rock, not what I am looking for in an enigma CD.
"Weightless"...this is nothing but a filler just to inflate cd playing time. Enigma should stop
putting stuff like this just to inflate their running time. We'll buy an enigma CD even if it is 44 mins instead of 47 mins.
"look of today"...has the "TNT for the brain" feel to it but still felt it was too poppish with cretu's voice...not what I want in enigma.
'Total eclipse of the moon"..This was not required...just for inflating run time.
7 good singles, 2 not that good singles and 2 fillers (total eclipse, weightless)...so overall Thumbs Up!!!
The great thing is that this is electronic new age but the kind you can fall of to sleep listening to. Because the music is made so errie sounding, even with the jazzy electronic content in places, it still has this foggy/haze-like acoustic quality. The treble is muted and the bass is kept a bit more, giving you that cozy acoustic feel. When I listen to this CD, I feel like I am in a private glass cocoon with carpeted floors, I can see the see the outside world through the glass but cant hear anything from the outside world except the throbbing vibrations of outside activity. A Beautiful cozy feeling.
I dont think Cretu's singing messes the CD...it's just that fans are so used to the regular female voice for over a decade that it will take some time to get adjusted. But I am sure Cretu will get accepted since enigma's music is not about much singing anyway. Its about creating an atmosphere.
Enigma doesnt need the monks any more...Their musical language has evolved. The king is (not) dead, long live the king !!!
Free Music Review: A new Enigma
Hit: 5 Stars
A new Enigma record has finally arrived. But this one is unlike any other you've ever heard. Enigma has evolved past using samples and chants. And the result is incredible! This could easily be the best album Enigma has done. It defines Enigma, setting them apart from other ambient bands. The new sound is fresh and modern, sounding nothing like new age and more like electronica. As the first album since the greatest hits package, you'd expect it to open a new chapter to Enigma's music. Here's a track-by-track.FROM EAST TO WEST - Opens up with a piano. Very peaceful sounding. The piano part then ends beautifully with the familiar Enigma intro. But that intro very quickly fades into a haunting trance song that sounds very reminiscent of Michael Cretu's side-project, Trance Atlantic Air Waves. Here it becomes clear that you will not hear the Enigma we've grown used to. A great beginning to this voyage.
VOYAGEUR - This is the album's first single. An aquatic guitar gently begins this track before a funky bassline takes over. You hear Cretu sing, although it's unclear whether he's actually saying something or not. Then Sandra's whispers take over "Viens chez moi, Voyageur". There's a short break, then begins again. Very chic sound.
INCOGNITO - Very unusual track. The intro sounds like something from Jean-Michel Jarre, then hard beats take over with Cretu's vocals deep in the background. There is a heavy electronic sound to this. This is more reminiscent of Cretu's early solo work. Again, very modern sound.
PAGE OF CUPS - This is a very peaceful song. Soft beats and a tiny distortion encompass the entire track. Sandra comes in a few minutes in with some French whispers. It's a little repetitive, but the beat will undoubtedly hook you.
BOUM-BOUM - I love this song. Probably my favorite on here. It starts out with a nice beat, followed by Ruth-Ann's sultry vocals. After she sings, Andru Donalds takes over and the fierce beat begins! I adore the lyrics! I'd love for this to be the second single. This is such a great song!
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON - A short sweet track. Vocals by Michael Cretu and nothing but synthesized strings accompanying his voice. Two short verses and it's over.
LOOK OF TODAY - This is a perfect club track. Enigma has never done a song like this before. It's wonderfully put together. The vocals kick in, and I wish they weren't so distorted. Another classic moment in Enigma's history.
IN THE SHADOW, IN THE LIGHT - A very sweet song. The tender lyrics really need to be heard! The music is nice though and the beat sounds like the one on "Enigmatic Encounter" by ATB and Enigma. Andru Donalds voice is great.
WEIGHTLESS - Ok, this song took me a couple of listens, but I finally find it fascinating. It's very short and very abstract. But the seemingly random notes in the background balance this track perfectly with Cretu's vocals. If I had to compare it to another track, it'd be "The Voice and The Snake" from MCMXC a.D., only a bit more musical.
THE PIANO - This track is so beautiful it gives me chills just thinking about it. It's an instrumental chillout track with a piano as it's main instrument. This song lifts you up and down. It's amazing.
FOLLOWING THE SUN - This is a PERFECT ending to this record. Ruth-Ann's vocals are mesmerizing, then Cretu jumps in with a chant for the climactic chorus. The song finishes and is taken over with a creepy, mysterious ending that quietly fades away into nothingness. Awesome!
All in all, an Enigma fan will love this record. Causal fans might be disappointed because it's clear now that Enigma is a new band. Gone forever are the familiar chants and pan-flutes. In fact, the only sample (besides the intro) from previous Enigma music is a meek "Sade, dit moi. Sade, donne moi" thrown in there for good measure (on "Incognito"). A great album! Enjoy!!!
Free Music Review: I Keep Going Back For More...
Hit: 5 Stars
In response to the other harsh reviews calling this latest Enigma project "Euro-trash", "not imaginative enough", etc. etc. here are my thoughts (yep, another 2 cents worth from another reviewer)...I will admit I am an avid Enigma fan since 1990. The key word being avid, not obsessed. It is the only Enigma cd in my collection that I can listen to from start to finish (it just flows that smoothly and has all the catchy creative hooks ). Whereas with the other Enigma titles I would find myself picking and choosing my favorite tracks from each cd. Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi was the only cd in the Enigma catalog where in my opinion didn't have a lot going for it (TNT For The Brain was the strongest track). If this latest project by Cretu, Sandra, and the gang have reviewers divided, then that too is awesome because if everyone loved it it would show a lack of diverse experimental creativity on Cretu's part in trying to please everyone...He then would not be a true artist unto himself first ! There is NOTHING like Enigma or this cd out there anywhere ! Similar rip offs, hacks, but they are not Enigma...I have owned Voyageur for a month and for me listening to it each time I discover something new and unique, not something repetitive or mundane...There are also speculative reasons as to why Cretu has not "allowed" his wife Sandra to sing or do any lead vocals other than her sensual talking and whispering. For those who have never heard her sing, you need to check out her solo import cd's under her name Sandra...She has a unique nasally but very pop friendly voice...the word being "pop"---she is not bad at all but to be honest many WILL compare her to a Madonna from the early days or Paula Abdul-like.However, the exception is that her sensuality that you hear in her speaking voice also comes out in her singing as a sort of velvety fawning characteristic. As for Cretu's voice, boy does he get flack, but his voice is no better and no worse than other vocalists (or claim to be professional singers) that are strictly solo artists and really stink. Also, those who hate the track The Look of Today for sounding like ABC's The Look Of Love, listen carefully to the lyrics. It's about "shallowness", commercialism, vanity. Therefore, the very musical nature or sound of the song itself may be a tongue in cheek poppish almost retro-new wavish tribute to pop culture. Just enjoy Voyageur and don't scratch too hard beneath it's surface...this is not brain surgery or an autopsy you guys !...Just be open to it and enjoy, enjoy...Free Music Review: Evolving - Evolving - Evolved!
Hit: 5 Stars
Enigma is one of those ambient prototype organizations that has to evolve to stay on top of their own game. Even with Enya she must not put too many albums out so her consistant style doesn't become old hat. However, she too evolves on subtle uncurrent as Enigma does. I was one of the few, or so it would seem, that actually found Screen Behind the MIrror to be excellent. I like the use of Carmina Barina (O'Fortuna) on the signature tune. As for Voyageur it has subtle sounds that return me to not only their first album (which is sampled in several tracks - listen very closey and you'll hear it) but is by far the best album since Cross of Changes (which is my personal favourite! - Return to Innocence ROCKS!!!) I am a huge Mike Oldfield fan and Michael Cretu and MIke Oldfield are friends. You can hear many many similarities (and the same drum tracks used) between Mike Oldfield's 2002 album Tres Lunas and Michael Cretu's 2003 Voyageur. I find Voyageur so appealing partly do to this reason. It has a very nice ambient flow where one can just bob their head along without causing neck injury.
Unlike the main reviewer for, I guess Amazon.com, (Matthew Cooke) has no feel for the beauty of Michael Cretu's raspy vocals and how nice an accompaniment they can be!! He sees them as an annoyance - probably Matthew is a fan of Britney (NO TALENT) Spears (who should be Speared! - might shut her up and get her out of the way for more talented individuals!!!) Michael Cretu's vocals are beautiful and Total Eclipse of the Moon is one of my favourites on Voyageur (but is far too short a piece - should have been longer in my opinion!) To Matthew and others who dislike Voyageur because it does not capture Enigma's debut album - Chant was popular at that time in history! It would not have been prudent or good business sense to use that formula again and again to dislike of music listeners everywhere. Basically, it would have gotten old quick! Let's use Mike Oldfield's constant rehash of the Tubular Bells franchise as an immediate example of a marketing disaster!! Four BELL albums plus a remake of the 1973 original (TOO MUCH OF THE SAME FORMULA MAKES PEOPLE SICK - hince why the boy and girl bands have gone - BUH BYE in the past year - OVER IT - DONE WITH IT!!!!)
Voyageur brings a nice new and fresh approach to the techno-oriented ambient style. I highly recommend picking up this album and show the music biz and especially RIAA what REAL music and REAL musicianship sounds like!!!
Free Music Review: Ah yes... close minded people...
Hit: 5 Stars
To start, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed, not in Enigma... but in it's "fans". Having thoroughly read through the other reviews, I can't help but notice how close-minded many of these people are. And these are the one's that said they expected something new...People, it's plain to see the old Enigma sound is gone. Get over it. As a matter of fact, I remember reading something once about Screen being the end to the "first world". Voyager is supposed to be the beginning of a "new world" so obviously the sound is going to be very different. And quite frankly, if your expecting the next album to go back to the sound of his previous albums... you might as well just get off the train now. Because the one your riding now does not head where you "hope" it may go.
Now, as for the album itself, it takes some getting use to. Too many people expect more of what they heard in his previous albums and tend to judge it on that sole fact. People also have judged the album for it's lyric's. People, an album does not need "deep" lyrics to be good. Ever think to just sit back and enjoy it for what it is? Not what you "think" it could/should be. I for one find this album fun to listen to. The "trashy-euro pop" as one person puts it, is a nice mix in. The fact he labeled it "trashy-euro" just re-enforces the fact he/she has probably never even stepped foot off of American soil and been fully expose to foreign music/culture. (Ah yes, America... the land of arrogance/ignorance. And before you ask, yes I'm American. Having grown up my entire life traveling the world, I have been exposed to so many new forms of music and tend to have an open mind to it) Oh yes, and by the way... Enigma is from Europe... can't help but wonder why there's a euro influence now can we?
Enough back talking for now, the bottom line is this: if your expecting a continuation of Enigma's previous works and have absolutely no room in your noggin for change... don't even bother buying this album. Save your money and go buy something else. Now, for the rest of us with open minds, you will probably enjoy the CD immensely. Much like I did. I won't bother to review each song, it's been done numerous times already, but know this, Enigma's new sound will definitely keep those of us willing to accept change coming back for more. Enigma has truly lived up to its name this album!