Enigma3: Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi! CD

Personnel: Michael Cretu (vocals, various instruments); Sandra Cretu, Louisa Stanley (vocals); Peter Cornelius (guitar).
Recorded at A.R.T. Studios, Ibiza, Spain.
LE ROI EST MORT, VIVE LE ROI was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best New Age Album and for Best Recording Package.
Personnel: Peter Cornelius (guitar).
Recording information: A.R.T. Studios, Ibiza, Spain.
Illustrator: Volker Sträter.
With Enigma 3: Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi, the group continues to phase out the dance elements of their music, moving toward lush sonic landscapes, informed by both electronics and worldbeat. The result is a fascinating, intriguing listen, especially for listeners already attuned to Enigma's idiosyncratic take on new age. ~ Rodney Batdorf
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. ~ Rick Anderson
On its third album, Enigma reshapes the most interesting aspects of its previous two into a distinctly different atmosphere. ENIGMA3 has tangible Indonesian influences, as did 1994's THE CROSS OF CHANGES; it also smoothly and dramatically incorporates Gregorian chant, which was prominent on Enigma's debut, MCMXC A.D. Unlike those albums, it features significant vocals by Enigma mastermind Michael Cretu. His voice brings tension and emotion to tracks such as "Why!..." and "The Roundabout."
There is an altogether moody, sensuously brooding ambience to the entire album, sustained by muted drum beats and soft, ethereal layers of sounds drawn from chant, opera, tribal chant, choir, and various instruments and effects. Like the band's previous albums, ENIGMA3 possesses both the otherworldliness of new-age music and the groove of hip-hop. It is a voyage to somewhere exotic and seductively danceable.