The Queen of New Age Romanticism5 Out Of 5 Stars
After serving time with some family members in the Celtic pop band Clannad, Enya decided they were becoming too pop and set out for a solo career. It may have taken her two albums to perfect the sound she's become famous for, but when "Orinoco Flow" became an international hot single and propelled her 1988 album "Watermark" to multiplatinum status, Enya became an international pop star. Which is something of a misnomer, as what Enya records is anything but traditional pop. She utilizes old folk and Celtic sounds, lush overdubbing and multi-layered harmonies to create music that no-one else has ever come close to duplicating.
That is why "The Very Best of Enya" is essential listening. The songs on this CD bent the arc of popular music and she became the best known musician of what was then called "New Age" music. More to the point, she transcended the faddish nature of the movement and continues to make music that resonates with the public to this day. While her music is gentle, she still has a dynamic sound. "Storms in Africa" ebbs and flows, building to its climax. "Only Time" (made popular after 9/11 as something radio used to calm listeners) gently lulled it's way into the top ten Billboard charts. her music is graceful and never disruptive, but she does so without resorting to the kind of Adult Contemporary radio bombast or condescending wimpiness. Enya creates music that comforts and brings the listener an experience in elegance.
If there are any qualms here, it's that I probably would have been just fine without the Christmas Carol "Oiche Chiuin," as it disrupts the originality of the rest of Enya's work. Also because the elegiac goodbye of "May It Be" would have brought the collection to a far more satisfying conclusion. "The Very Best of Enya" is music that transcended all the tropes of modern pop music and still stands as fresh and gorgeous as it has on the albums it's been culled from.
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