Enya And Winter Came… Album Review
New Age Singer Releases New CD of Christmas Songs for the Holidays
Nov 19, 2008
Picking up where her last album, Amarantine, left off, on And Winter Came…, Enya returns with subtle lyric-based songs focusing on the coldest time of the year. Dubbed and marketed as a Christmas album, don’t expect “Orinoco flow” renditions of “Jingle Bells” or “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”.
With each new album, Enya focuses more on her singing, traditional song structure and lyrics rather than piano layerings, vocal infusions and overdubs that made her second album, Watermark, and third disc, Sheppard Moons so addictive and successful, eventually selling nearly 20 million copies combined and making Enya a household name not only in the New Age circles but in the pop world as well.
And Winter Came…
Produced by long time collaborator, Nicky Ryan, with lyrics by Roma Ryan, And Winter Came…, threads a winter theme throughout 12 new tracks with a few references to Christmas and the holiday season, but in essence the album is pure Enya.
The first two tracks, the title track and “Journey of the Angles” start the album off slowly with hints of synthesized backdrops and other sprinkles of Enya’s atmospheric musings. However, on “White is in the Winter Night”, a sparkling Christmas track, a world of holiday wonder opens. “Have you seen the mistletoe? It fills the night with kisses/ Have you seen the bright new star? It fills your heart with wishes.”
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” a new Christmas ballad complete with a backing choir sounds the most like a traditional religious hymn infusing holiday bells and powerful chants. A lovely track that sounds exactly what fans expect from the artist who has made a career crafting reflective and dramatic music.
One Toy Soldier
Complete with chiming bells, “One Toy Soldier” sounds like a modern day “Little Drummer Boy” companion piece. A joyful track using the metaphor of a toy soldier with a damaged drum, for a lover with a broken heart, the poor soldier worries that he won’t be ready for Christmas. “He keeps the beat of marching feet, he keeps the beat so true, he’s one small toy, for one small boy, but his heart is oh, so blue”. One of the cutest songs Enya has recorded and one of the loveliest Christmas tracks on And Winter Came…
“My! My! Time Flies”, breaks away from the Enya pattern in dramatic fashion. A snappy change in direction for the queen of New Age piano and vocal over-dubs, the track has a toe tapping beat and a guitar solo care of Pat Farrell. While sounding completely out of her element, yet in a good way, Enya has rarely sounded this fresh and lively. A fun, retro-sounding track perfect for a winter sleigh ride through white-tipped firs.
Silent Night Oiche Chiuin
Album closer, “Oiche Chiuin (Chorale)” a traditional rendition of “Silent Night” with a new arrangement by Enya and Nicky Ryan, sounds perfect for snowy nights at home by the fire surrounded by dimly burning candles with the smells of Christmas treats baking in the oven filling the room. A perfect choice of track that fits Enya’s vocals beautifully and closes the curtain on a modern Christmas classic.
While And Winter Came… sounds more like an Enya album than a disc recorded specifically for the holiday season, fans of the Irish artist will find plenty to rejoice in throughout the year, and new fans have yet another chance to become acquainted with one of the world’s most talented and truly original artists.
Enya’s And Winter Came… is available in traditional record stores and online retailers.
 |
