Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya
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Free Music Notes for Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya
Free Music Review: new music
Hit: 5 Stars
For most of us, Enya didn't so much introduce us to a new kind of music. It felt more like she invented a genre and then invited us to listen in.
This anthology of sixteen of her hits is appropriately headed by the beguiling 'Orinoco Flow', the piece that first caught the public's attention and remains a compelling, joyous ode in a Celtic-tradition-in-variant-form sort of way.
Enya's song is not really about the words. Her lyrics are sometimes unintelligible, either because they're spoken in a language with which the listener is not familiar or simply because the music overwhelms them. Indeed, they are not printed in my CD liner. One does not much grieve the loss, for the flowing, passionate, enigmatic surge the music consistently produces is reward enough. In fact, some of her best work is entirely non-verbal though not non-vocal, 'Watermark' for example'.
Indeed I am oddly tormented by the mysterious lyrics of two pieces, one of which in this reviewer's fevered brain sounds like the repeated statement 'Pilpel', this being the name given to an obscure Hebrew verbal form. The other, more prosaically, puts me in mind of the repeated musical statement 'Your underwear!'. None of this should be held against Enya.
What makes Enya sound so different? Her formula layers coquettish rhythms played on well-beaten strings with very little conventional percussion over lush harmonies vocal background themes that fade in and out enigmatically. Very seldom does Enya's voice appear alone. In this she is more creator than soloist.
In becoming reacquainted with this CD after some years and in listening to it more attentively than before, I am struck by what a fine artist Enya is. Yes, I think 'artist' *is* the word. She defies conventional categorization in the way that pioneers often do. What is more, the highly *produced* nature of her work means that she will be dismissed often as unworthy of association with the word 'pioneer' and, for that matter, 'artist'.
I think this is mistaken. She is both. Her only perceived fault in this regard might be her commercial success, as though it is incumbent only upon compromised, sold-out schmucks to experience this blessing. She appears to this reviewer to be a much finer artist than all of that.
I still find her work profoundly moving and pleasant for long periods of time as I work and listen. This 'greatest hits' anthology makes a fine introduction to it.
Free Music Review: A stunning album
Hit: 5 Stars
PAINT THE SKY WITH STARS is a collection of Enya's best work from 1987 to 1997. Since this disc, she has released another album (A DAY WITHOUT RAIN), yet this anthology stands as a definitive point in her career.Of course, I can't mention this album without referring to "Orinoco Flow," Enya's 1987 global smash which is included here. The mixture of sophistication, expression, and agreeable rhythm puts "Orinoco Flow" at the forefront of Enya's music and, in my opinion, is one of the standout tracks of music of any genre in the past 20 years.
Still, there is much more to discover on PAINT THE SKY WITH STARS. The instrumentals on the album are simple and tastefully arranged. "The Memory of Trees," "Watermark," "Storms In Africa," "Shepherd Moons," and "The Celts" tell very different stories without any words at all. "Boadicea" was used as a sample in the Fugees' hit "Ready Or Not," but keeps its own identity as the closing track of this album.
Some songs will surprise listeners with their quiet power. The epic "Book of Days" is an energetic tour de force. "Ebudae" is a haunting march that is the shortest song on the album, yet the most powerful. "On My Way Home" has alternating crescendos and decrescendos that echo "Orinoco Flow." Enya tries a few tongue twisters on the amusing "Anywhere Is" while softening into the slow pace of the tropics in "Caribbean Blue."
"China Roses" and "Marble Halls" are dreamlike songs whose main focus is thought, reflection, and dreams.
Two songs were released exclusively on this record. "Only If..." could reasonably be called "Anywhere Is II" but it is certainly unique enough to stand on its own. "Paint The Sky With Stars" is a beautiful and unique track that demonstrates Enya's voice without the usual overdubs and layered harmonies.
I usually buy CDs from artists such as Linkin Park, Evanescence, Michelle Branch, and matchbox twenty. After hearing "Orinoco Flow," I became interested and decided to purchase this CD. When I first listened to it, I was surprised that I already recognized many of the songs. It is the only New Age-style album I own, and is one of my favorite CDs. I put it on to relax and unwind after a long day. I would recommend PAINT THE SKY WITH STARS or any of Enya's music to anyone who is willing to try something new.
Free Music Review: Perfect retrospective of Enyas powerful voice and music.
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a great retrospective of Enyas work and is one of my all time favorite Greatest Hits CDs. Orinoco Flow is a beautiful well orchestrated song with breathtaking vocals and a powerful melody that makes this song timeless and resistant to being played out. I absolutely am in paradise when listening to the quiet bridge in the middle of the song.This song is a new age classic. Carribean Blue is sort of like Orinoco Flow but is more romantic and more like the clear moonlight equivelent of Orinoco Flow. Book Of Days is a song with almost Christmaslike bells however this version has lyrics that are sung in English instead of Irish Gaelic. Anywhere Is is a bright poppy song that has a very strong rhythm and a cheerful atmosphere. Only If is similar to Anywhere Is. The Celts is a gorgeous melody with a feel like standing inside a gothic cathedral with some rays of sunlight shining through. China Roses is a joyous yet meloncholy at the same time, very churchlike and romantic song. I could play this one at a wedding ceremony if I ever get married(lol). Shepard Moons is a very somber piano track that brings up images of swimming under the sea with glowing crystals on the sea floor and rays of sunlight shining through. Ebudae is a short but breathtaking, radiant track with a ominous atmosphere, haunting chants and a heavy drum loop. Storms In Africa is a very stormy track that brings up images of flying over the African rainforest with stroms looming ahead. Things calm down with the beautiful piano instrumental Watermark. The title track from this CD is a laid back song that will have to grow on you but in the end you will like this song. Marble Halls is a very romantic song that I could play when watching fantasia. Truly a very romantic song. On My Way Home is in some ways similar to Orinoco Flow but less spooky and more sunny. The only thing about this version is that it's shorter than the original parent album version. The Memory Of Trees is a beautiful instrumental with a bright yet haunting feel to it. Boadicea brings this CD to a fantastic close. Boadicea is a very dark haunting instrumental with chants that spook me more than any Halloween music. It gives a feeling of the calm before an approaching storm.
I strongly recommend this album to all fans of Enya. This will hold up against the changing face of music for the rest of history.
Free Music Review: ENYA 101
Hit: 5 Stars
This album contains the basic Enya along with a couple of new cuts. Of the two new cuts, I discovered "Only If", light and frothy as it sounds on first play, to be quite intricately crafted and could possibly be on a future "best" collection. The title song is nice, but just not the best of her work.And then we come to the 14 selections for the best. My only disagreement with the selection is "On My Way Home" from "The Memory of Trees" instead of "On Your Shore" from Watermark. Other than that, I am surprisingly in complete agreement as to what is Enya's best...that doesn't usually happen. First, I like every title instrumental with the ethereal voices..."Shepherd Moons" being my favorite, but "The Celts", "Watermark", and "The Memory of Trees: each definitely among her best work. Secondly, since "Shepherd Moons" is my favorite of her CD's, I was quite happy with the total of five selections from it. If the powers that be had selected an additional song from Watermark--if not "On Your Shore", then "Exile" or "Evening Falls"--instead of "On My Way Home", I would've been happier. As it was, four cuts are from "Memory of Trees" and only three from "Watermark". That I disagree with, but realize that each person has their favorites and are just as welcome to their preferences as I am to mine. There are only two cuts from "The Celts", and again, I agree. "The Celts" is a very cohesive album, but outside of the title cut and "Boadica", I didn't feel that it had individual standouts.
So there's my opinions, and I'm sure many will disagree, but I do think that all will agree that you should have this CD in your collection...as an introduction to Enya if you haven't had one yet...and as a different perspective on the familiar material for those who already have her other CD's. This might be an unique perspective, but I honestly feel that by changing the order of her songs, one gets a different reaction in hearing the sequence. Just one of my nutty ideas...LOL
Bottom line, hey, get this CD whether or not you have most of the songs on it already...you'll love it.
Free Music Review: Refreshing Like Turquoise Waters
Hit: 5 Stars
I first heard this CD as the soundtrack to a 1-hour submarine ride in Grand Cayman in June 1998. These two wild and crazy Australian boys brought us beneath the sapphire and turquoise waters that shroud the reefs just off the coast of the island. They asked us 6 claustrophobic and panic stricken passengers if it would relax us to hear music while we viewed the reefs out of 6 inch thick glass, and we all nodded yes, expecting the reggae we heard as we boarded. They dimmed the lights, and out of the darkness flowed the lovely sounds of Enya's "Orinoco Flow", which accompanied our initial descent to the reef. Fear turned to awe and excitement as we were provided with music that seemed to be tailored to our journey.
The reef was marvelous, the light shining through the water illuminating thousands of fish, sea creatures, and exotic reef plants and animals. The wonder of a world I'd never seen before unfolded before our delighted eyes, and Enya's music seemed to float around us, perfectly capturing the moment of beauty.
I didn't know it was Enya, however - I was so dumbstruck by what I'd seen and experienced under the blue-green waters off Grand Cayman that I forgot to ask our Australian guides what the beautiful music was.
About a month later, I was in a New Age store and heard "Caribbean Blue", and was instantly transported mentally back to the beauty of the island that I'd left in May. I ran to the counter and asked what it was, and the clerk was surprised I'd never heard of Enya...as I was, because I'm a major Yanni fan and love ambient music like Brian Eno. The clerk was out of the CD but a friend found it for me here on Amazon.
It is on my permanent play list as one of the most beautiful works of art I've ever heard. Whenever I hear it, I am transported back to that safe little womb of a submarine, floating around the beautiful reefs off Grand Cayman, surrounded by the miracle of life in the Caribbean.
You should pick this one up, listen to it, and make a beautiful memory with it, like I did. I will forever carry the underwater images and feelings in my head each time I hear this CD. You will be forever grateful you got this one. Enjoy and be at peace.