Elly Roberts reviews
Enya: Amarantine
Distributed by
Warner Music UK
Amarantine: 
Only Time:
- Cat.no: 2564627972
- Released: November 2005
- Rating: 2/10
Five years in the making,
reclusive Eithne Ni Brennan aka Enya, follows on
from 2000's 13 million selling album A Day Without Rain.
Amarantine is her sixth studio album.
With sales of more than 65 million world-wide since her chart success in
1988 with Watermark (no.5 UK) and the No.1 single Orinoco Flow
(DVDfever.co.uk Dom says: "I can't listen to that song without
thinking of of 'Peep Show'!) the new age
singer-songwriter has never deviated from her ethereal and romantic
soundscapes.
This, her third album of originals in ten years, finds the
successful partnerships with producer - arranger Nicky Ryan and lyricist
Roma Ryan in familiar territory. This triumvirate don't like rushing things,
which adds to the peculiarity of its lack of conviction. What it lacks is
the killer song like Orinoco Flow, Caribbean Blue and Anywhere Is to raise
the atmosphere. The lazy pace makes more for muzak rather than music.
You'll be able to put this CD on your player and render it a virtual 'nothing
listening experience' when finished. There's nothing here that stands out or
grabs your attention in any shape or form. Its heavy going for most of its
45 minutes plus. The closest you get to any semblance of a memorable song is
Amid The Falling Snow which should have been the Christmas single, not the
title song released December 5.
Of all the music I've heard by Enya, using Only Time: The Collection as a
point of reference, this is definitely her worst album so far.
Predictability creeps in rapidly, and I find myself crying out for some
musical adventure and real dynamics. Eventually the tedium gets a grip: I
found myself switching off half way through. Coming to the rescue, and far
too late, is closing track Water Shows etc. It's the best of the bunch and
quite beautiful, which contains the only sense of real adventure with lyrics
in the customised language of Loxian, invented by Roma Ryan.
The album peaked at number 8 in its first week, dropping rapidly to 16 (w/e
10th December), showing it hasn't got the legs for a hugely
successful album in the UK. Eighth is her lowest chart peak since the
repackaging of Enya as The Celts in 1992.
Her only number one was Shepherd Moons in 1991, and it'll be quite some time
before she reproduces that success with albums like this.
Very disappointing.
The full list of tracks included are :
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
