Enya
Amarantine
(Warner Music)
· Less than a pearl in a sea of stars, we are a lost island in the shadows ( from "Less than a Pearl" by Enya).
Enya (born Eithne Ni Bhraonain) hit it big with her New Age album Watermark and its breakaway hit "Orinoco Flow" back in 1988, having left behind her home of Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland and her original band, Clannad, six years earlier. And if you don’t include the ballad "May It Be," her contribution to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings soundtrack, it has been five long years since we’ve heard anything new from Enya. The reason for this time lapse becomes apparent when you consider that she alone is largely responsible for the construction of her latest work, performing all of Amarantine’s instruments and vocals, and taking the director’s chair for composition and production duties, as well.
Yes, just in time for the holiday season, a crimson-robed Enya sails into the Celtic Music section of your local music store. Eschewing English for a variety of obscure and ancient tongues, Enya’s artistic approach on this, her six full-length effort, belies a creative spirit that surpasses her reputation as a purveyor of day spa anthems. Soft enough to engage her mainstream audience, but authentic enough to retain its folk music merit, Amaratine offers a dozen glittering tales of stars, snow and tears by candlelight.
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