EnyaCountry of origin:Ireland Type of music generally:Ethereal traditional Celtic folk with New Age and mainstream pop influence Status:Most recent release, Dark Sky Island (2015) See also:Wikipedia's entry on Enya Comparisons:Clannad, Maire Brennan, Loreena McKennitt, Heidi Berry, Virginia Astley Covers/own material:Own (some co-written or traditional) General comments:While not a big fan I do find her pleasant to listen to on occasion, good sunday morning music (although I much prefer her sister Maire Brennan). (sspan) Recommended first album:Watermark or the compilation album with her best songs Paint The Sky With Stars—The Best of Enya Recordings:
EnyaRelease info:1987—BBC UK—BBC CD 605 Availability:Hard to find. The album was remastered and re-released as The Celts in 1992. Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:Enya—vocals, piano, Juno 60, DX7, Emulator II, Kurtzweil Guest artists:Patrick Halling—violin Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:Music from the BBC series The Celts. The album has been re-released under another title (The Celts) which is easier to find. Beautiful, light music, sparser than Watermark. (jbr@casetech.dk) WatermarkRelease info:1988—WEA—243875-2 (the 1989 reissue includes the extra track "Storms in Africa (Part II)" ) Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Must have Group members:Enya—all vocals and instruments Guest artists:Neil Buckley—clarinet Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:Rich tapestries of music. Beautiful. Great music for walking in the rain: the rain merely becomes a setting for the great longing expressed in the music. (jbr@casetech.dk) Shepherd MoonsRelease info:1991—WEA—9031-75572-2 (The early releases of this album have the original version of "Book of Days" but most post-1992 releases feature the re-recorded English-lyric version of this song) Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:Enya—all vocals and instruments Guest artists:Andy Duncan—percussion Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:Weaker than Enya or Watermark, but still good. Main problem is a lack of emotion in the music. Some nice lyrics. (jbr@casetech.dk) The CeltsRelease info:1992—WEA—4509-91167-2 Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:Enya—all vocals and instruments Guest artists:Neil Buckley—clarinet Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:This album is a re-release of Enya, containing a selection of material composed and performed by Enya for the BBC-TV documentary series The Celts. It has been remastered and "Portrait" replaced by an expanded version of itself under the title "Portrait (Out Of The Blue)", previously released on various singles as "Out Of The Blue". It has also been re-packaged with a new cover. Oíche ChiúnRelease info:1992—Reprise—9 40660-2 Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:Enya Produced by:Nicky Ryan, Enya (1) Comments:A beautiful EP. Just 3 songs, a perfect length, and one of my favorites to listen to throughout the holiday season. "Oíche Chiún" is a beautiful Gaelic version of "Silent Night". (JoAnn Whetsell) The Memory Of TreesRelease info:1995—WEA—0630-12879-2 Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Enya—all vocals and instruments Guest artists:No other artists are mentioned but they're probably the same as on the previous albums Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:I really like Enya's music, but have been left a little disappointed by this latest release. I have played it 4-5 times. Whilst I enjoy it, it hasn't really grabbed me (not like the first 2 albums anyway). I really think Enya needs to try and extend herself a little more, she is starting to sound the same and really needs to vary her style or approach her music from a different perspective with each new release. Considering that it has been quite a few years since Shepherd Moons, The Memory of Trees is very disappointing. I give it 6/10. (Garry_Potter.VICROADS@vrnotes.roads.vic.gov.au) Paint The Sky With Stars—The Best Of EnyaRelease info:1997—WEA—3984-20895-2 Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:See above; all but two tracks are previously released Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:Paint The Sky With Stars is a compilation album featuring a selection of Enya's best known material plus two new tracks—"Paint The Sky With Stars" and "Only If". Some tracks appear to have been remastered, exhibiting better low level detail, and there is also some evidence of remixing, notably on "Ebudae". A Box of DreamsRelease info:1997—WEA—3984-21333-2 Availability:Released in Germany/Europe only? Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:see above; all but three tracks are previously released Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:The 3 CD box-set A Box of Dreams is a random compilation of the four Enya albums released up until then, with the 'new' tracks "Only if", "Willows on the water" and "Painting the sky with stars", taken from the compilation album Paint the sky with stars released in 1997 as well. As far as I know, this box set was only released in Germany. I have seen a Japanese version, but that one contained Watermark, Shepherd moon and The Memory of trees for some reason. The three discs, called "Oceans", "Clouds" and "Stars", are thematically ordered compilations, with "Oceans" containing 'vocal' tracks (i.e. with lyrics) and the other two instrumental tracks. "Clouds" seems to be a 'daylight' compilation with tracks such as 'Morning glory' and 'Miss Clare Remembers', whereas "Stars" seems to have a darker theme with 'Evening falls', 'Eclipse' and 'Marble Halls'. Perfect mood music and highly recommended even if you have all of the Enya albums (and don't have access to a CD burner!) AmarantineCopy-protected discRelease info:2005—Reprise Records—49474-2 Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Enya—all instruments and vocals, arrangements Guest artists:Nicky Ryan—arrangements Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:Not as mushy as her weakest material, but not as strong as her best work either. Enya still creates gorgeous soundscapes, and when she picks up the pace a bit, she still creates interesting music. There are a few really beautiful tracks, including the two songs in Loxian, "The river sings" and "Water shows the hidden heart." Overall, though, it's too New Age and same-sounding for my tastes, a nice place to drift until you realize the landscape pretty much looks the same. (JoAnn Whetsell) NBC Sounds of the Season: The Enya CollectionRelease info:2006—Rhino Custom Products—R2CD-74115 Availability:Out of print? Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:Enya Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:I only listen to Enya at Christmastime. Her voice and smooth New Age music just seem perfectly suited to holiday music, which she smartly makes in ep formats&—just the right amount of comforting sweet beauty before you get sick of it. Her third ep, Songs for the Season with Enya, available exclusively at Target, is a welcome addition. Sure, she makes "Joy to the World" into a bit of a downer, but she makes "Adeste, Fidelis" sound regal and magical. (JoAnn Whetsell) And Winter CameRelease info:2008—Reprise—512383-2 Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:Enya—arrangements, all vocals and instrumentation Guest artists:Nicky Ryan—arrangements Produced by:Nicky Ryan Comments:This album is fantastic from start to finish, consisting of a mixture of Christmas classics and some originals. It's an incredibly soothing album. Very peaceful and serene. I'm getting as much playtime in during the winter season as I can—but wouldn't be surprised to find myself listening to it throughout the year. (lasherboy@gmail.com) Further info:Enya has worked with Clannad on their albums Crann Ull and Fuaim. Thanks to Jens P. Tagore Brage, Marion Kippers, Marcel Rijs and JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
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