Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 1.58 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 765 Mb
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© 2013 Virgin Music / EMI / Universal | 0600753459843
New Age / Electronic / Ethnic Fusion / Dance Pop

Part of Universal's Classic Album Selection series, this multi-part package from the aptly named Spanish ethno-fusion dance-pop provocateurs Enigma features five complete studio albums, including MCMXC a.D. (1990), The Cross of Changes (1993), Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi! (1996), Screen Behind the Mirror (1999), and Voyageur (2003).

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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MCMXC A.D. (1990)
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Michael Crétu's attempt at fusing everything from easy listening sex music and hip-hop rhythms to centuries-old Gregorian chants couldn't have been more designed to tweak the nose of high art, a joyously crass stab straight at a mainstream, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. The result is something that shouldn't exist, but in its own way results in as much of a cultural scramble and explosion as anything Public Enemy were doing around the same time, crossing over the Euro-disco and new age spheres with style. Credit Crétu for an open ear for whatever works, which is precisely why "Sadeness," the first part of a longer track called "Principles of Lust," turned into a fluke worldwide hit. Snippets of monks invoking the Almighty effortlessly glide in and out of a polite but still strong breakbeat, shimmering, atmospheric synth and flute lines and a Frenchwoman whispering in a way that sounds distinctly more carnal than spiritual (as her gasps for breath elsewhere make clear). Guitar and male vocals add to the album version's try-anything-that-works approach, as do attempts at shuffling jazz beats and horns. If nothing quite equals that prime moment elsewhere on the album, MCMXC A.D. still trips out on the possibilities as it can, right from the opening "Voice of Enigma," inviting all listeners to sit back, relax, and take a gentle trip. Crétu certainly isn't trying to hide anything – "Callas Went Away" goes right ahead and adds a sample of Maria Callas herself to the chirping birds and soft beats, while elsewhere the flutes, beats, monks, and French voices merrily go about their glossy business. About the only thing missing is the kitchen sink, making the entire album the "MacArthur Park" of its day.

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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The Cross Of Changes (1993)
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Cretu being no fool, he figured if it worked the first time, no need to change things much for the second. But he also knew not to simply go ahead and just rehash his debut for Cross of Changes, resulting in a just different enough effort along the same overall lines. The usual air of tasteful middle-of-the-road spirituality takes precedence, right down to the cover art and appropriately pantheistic quote from Persian mystic poet Rumi in the CD booklet. Needless to say, the music attempts to match the same throughout, and often succeeds. Things kick off with more of the synth-whale song noises and atmospherics from MCMXC, however there aren't any monks to be found this time around, but what sounds like the same whispering woman talking about "clearing the debts of many hundred years" and the like. From there, Cretu merrily takes the same plunge – some of his sample choices this time around show he's got a decent record collection, including parts from Songs From the Victorious City, the striking fusion of Egyptian and Western musics from Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman. His work with beats and loops noticeably shows a more developed edge – while hardly an innovator, there's a bit more grime and loud in his rhythms, which in combination with extra electric guitar make a reasonable contrast to the smoother elements. Consider the rampaging conclusion to "I Love You…I'll Kill You," which while sharing some cheese with the title itself still works surprisingly well, right down to a clever Robert Plant vocal sample at the end. "Return to Innocence" was the big single from this one, not quite up there with "Sadeness" in the popular culture in the U.S. but almost inescapable elsewhere. There's another Led Zeppelin sample (this time John Bonham) and a haunting male vocal providing oomph under the fuzzy-headed greeting card philosophy of the main lyrics. It's an impressive effort, showing Cretu had a definite something in his own way.

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi! (1996)
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Enigma burst on the scene in the early '90s with a pretty nifty schtick: dance beats and lush chord washes underpinning such exotica as muttered French sex talk and Gregorian chant, all unified by a bizarre theme somehow related to the Marquis de Sade. The concept was never as original as some people thought (Mark Stewart's "Maffia" had set plainchant to electro-funk as far back as 1984), but it worked nicely, and "Sadeness" (har har) was an international dance club hit. Two albums later, Michael Cretu (the individual who records under the Enigma moniker) doesn't seem to have done much to expand upon his original ideas. The monks are still there, floating in a murky club mix, though this time they're joined by a cool Mongolian ensemble as well. Cretu is singing more, which is unfortunate since his voice is mediocre and his lyrics silly, but the occasional high point does emerge, such as the darkly lovely "The Child in Us." Most of the album, however, is twaddle. Song titles like "Morphing Thru Time," "Beyond the Invisible" and (seriously) "Odyssey of the Mind" will give you a good idea of what to expect – lots of atmosphere, lots of reverb, lots of sternly intoned lyrics about, er…something or other. What's missing is musical interest. Overall, the cool packaging is the only thing noteworthy about this disappointing effort.

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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The Screen Behind the Mirror (2000)
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Enigma's fourth album The Screen Behind the Mirror continues Michael Cretu's explorations into ambient new age, Gregorian chant, world music, and dance rhythms. Cretu's vocals play a more prominent role than on earlier Enigma albums, which, unfortunately, often detracts from the songs' other diverse elements – which include church bells, Middle Eastern and European choirs, sensuous female vocals, and a wide array of ethnic percussion and instruments. The album's pieces are mixed together continuously and are united thematically by samples and reinterpretations of Orff's "O Fortuna" and other material from Carmina Burana, giving songs like "Endless Quest," "The Gate," and "Smell of Desire" a flowing, cohesive feel. Though it doesn't reveal significant growth or change in Enigma's work, The Screen Behind the Mirror will please fans of the group's other atmospheric works.

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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Voyageur (2003)
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Michael Crétu's formula of weaving old and new world sounds through new age atmospherics and dance rhythms has resulted in four Enigma discs that have straddled the line between brilliance and self-indulgence. The plodding bombast of 2000's The Screen Behind the Mirror seemed to signal that Enigma had stretched itself to a point where an explosion of pompous musical goop was imminent. So what's to be done when the bubble's about to burst? Simply ease up, let out some of the stuffy air, and allow for some space to breathe – and that is what Crétu has done with Voyageur. Utilizing a lighter production style, his compositions benefit from the lack of themes, chants, and assorted ethereal voices that began to plague his discs while still retaining the essence of Enigma. Once again, the songs are seamlessly merged together into a flowing river of music in which there are moments of calm as well as sections that have a swift undercurrent of beats. The mandatory introductory passage, "From East to West," stretches further than on previous discs as its lightly rolling beats and simple melody suggest a move toward ambient electronica. The following title track reinforces this theory as the danceable beat propels the electro-guitar strums and backing organ like a hit song from a car commercial. "Incognito" expands the experiment a bit more by tentatively treading into Chemical Brothers territory and, as if to say he's getting back to basics, Crétu throws in a couple of "Sadeness" samples from Enigma's groundbreaking debut disc. Rounding out the excellent first half of the program is the single-worthy "Boum-Boum," where the pop sounds of *NSYNC exist happily within an Alan Parsons Project world. Although the beats continue with "Look of Today," the second half of Voyageur tends to lose focus as tracks like "Weightless" and "The Piano" sound as if they are lost in some kind of new age netherworld. However, with its strong opening and scaling back of theatrics, Voyageur is one of Enigma's more successful recordings and sheds new light on an old formula.

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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Enigma - Classic Album Selection (2013) [5CD] {Virgin}

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