"The River Sings" by Enya from Amarantine

"It's more of the same," is the most comment complaint for Enya's many songs, and Amarantine demonstrates that. But if you like her soothing style that works, you won't care. I've heard about 50 of her songs, and this is one of my favorites, even if it does sound much like "Ebudæ".

Enya melds Celtic and New Age style music with their minor key and softness. Some will find it relaxing; others depressing. Enya's voice has the usual echoing quality as it's used as an instrument, melded into the song. "The River Sings" has a faster beat than many on the album, the tempo fitting a heartbeat as the singing has its cheery and slight darker points. I can picture naiads dancing around their river singing in the imaginary language used in this song.

The language, Loxian, was created by Enya's lyricist Roma Ryan after Enya sang in Elvish for the soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Unfortunately, this song does sound like a second version of one of her earlier songs called "Ebudæ", with almost the same music. Enya's layered voice sings a song that, when translated into English, questions on "the shape of eternity."

A Christian knows "the shape of eternity", so it's something to consider when deciding to (not) listen to the song. The soothing music might help calm the listener after a tense day, and the lyrics are clean. The music style, "New Age", may be used for meditation by some, but it needn't be used that way.

Altogether, "The River Sings" beautifully paints its mental cheer, melded together so I cannot imagine the song formed any other way. If you're sick of Enya's "same old" feel, you'll want to avoid the song, but otherwise, enjoy!

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 9/10

"Gravity of Love" by Enigma from LSD: Love, Sensuality, and Devotion

What is Enigma? How can I classify a band that sounds like this, since I've not heard anything strictly like it and therefore any description will be lacking? I guess it doesn't help that they're Romanian.

You'll think of an ocean's powerful sedate waves and a heartbeat throughout the song. Considering the music is streamlined to a minimum, that's a feat. Even the volume and digitalization of the vocals help produce the mental image. That does make the vocals sound a bit drowned out at times, but the song gives the impression that such times are intentional. I'm still not convinced it was the best choice musically, and the voices are perhaps overdigitalized.

The sound is very "wet" (echoing). It's a very calm, soothing, with an oddly comforting dark element. That sounds weird, but I find it more sedate than anything else. "Gravity of Love" isn't intended to exist by itself. Enigma designed LSD: Love, Sensuality, and Devotion to be heard in its entirity as a concept album. Nonetheless, "Gravity of Love" sounds compelling.

Many call Enigma New Age, but that tends to give the wrong impression. Evidently the band comfortably bounces around some different styles and is influenced by them all. Perhaps New Age with a strong underlining beat might describe "Gravity of Love" best. You certainly feel the gravity.

The clean lyrics encourage the seeking of love, but not as a violent tempest. It's more important than that. A line of Latin repeats "O fortune like the moon." The song evidently admits that excess leads to failures that teach you with, "The path of excess leads to the tower of wisdom." That line, a twice-repeated whisper, is the most objectionable one in the song.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 5/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10