| | Enya Amarantine CD Enya Discography of CDs
 (24 Customer Reviews)
After a five-year silence in the wake of her phenomenally successful release A DAY WITHOUT RAIN, Enya reemerged in 2005 with AMARANTINE. The singer knows better than to mess with a good thing, and all of the hallmarks of her sound are here: the evocative Celtic overtones, the symphonic arrangements and lush soundscapes, and the singer's pure, haunting vocals. Additionally, Enya's long-time creative sidekicks--producer arranger Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan--are on board here too, and the time-tested results show.
AMARANTINE, a poetic name for a mythical, everlasting flower, is an appropriate metaphor for the music. Luxuriant, mysterious, and with a deep aesthetic sense, Enya's music seems to surge and unfurl like a blooming flower. Fans who feared Enya may have lost her touch since this album's multi-platinum predecessor can rest easy. Atmospheric, stirring, and masterfully executed, AMARANTINE is as fully realized and accomplished as anything the artist has released.
Lyricist: Roma Ryan.
Personnel: Enya (vocals, various instruments).
Audio Mixer: Nicky Ryan.
Recording information: Aigle Studio.
Photographer: Simon Fowler.
Arranger: Nicky Ryan.Uncut (p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[A]s an oasis of calm in a world of noise and chaos; it's easy to understand her appeal." Amarantine Music Review Average Rating: (3.8 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews hmm
I became a fan of Enya a couple of years ago when found I out that my favorite song from the Far and Away soundtrack was written by her. I absolutely loved her Paint the Sky With Stars cd, but her latest stuff (day without rain, included) just doesn't do it for me. They're all starting to sound the same. The River Sings, which I'll admit I do like, sounds like a more upbeat Ebudae to me. I'm gonna need some more variety.
Submitted by Stephanie (Atlanta, GA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 2 of 2 found this helpful.
 Disappointing
Some might argue that there is no such thing as a bad Enya album. This is because Enya always sticks to the same formula--lots of vocal layering (her trademark sound), booming orchestral backdrops, and lyrics sung in both English and Gaelic. She found a winning formula with her first album, 1988's Watermark, and has stuck by it over the years. Unfortunately, this very formula appears to have failed her on Amarantine. The first song "Less Than A Pearl," the title track, and "The River Sings" are great, but the rest of the album is tired and boring. Enya appears to have lost a lot of her momentum and the majority of Amarantine is sleep-inducing with many down-tempo tracks and unmemorable lyrics. The vocal layering that was so vibrant on previous releases sounds dull and over used on Amarantine. I was expecting something a bit different after so many albums of the same sound. I loved Shepherd Moons (released back in 1991 before she started repeating herself) and A Day Without Rain, but Amarantine is a snooze. Time to try something new or perhaps create a different formula.
Submitted by Jessica (The Woodlands, TX, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Enya on repeat
Unfortunately I have to buy this CD for my wife, probably for Xmas. The usual precious Enya 'wah-wah-wah-ing' about life's little disappointments, odes to stray puppies and eating licorice on a moonlit night - how romantic. If only Enya settled on a planet where she can fit-on some fluffy angel wings and prance around picking flowers and eventually die of asthma from the pollen! Sorry Enya - how about you "RRrrock" for once!
Submitted by Johnny Nonation (Perth, Western Australia.)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful.  Amarantine: A Tour de Force
Truly dedicated enya fans will appreciate "Amarantine." It has all of the formula that has worked so successfully in the past, except for the Latin and Celtic languages, which I miss. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Loxian pieces and the Japanese lyrics of "Sumiregusa." There are shades of the Celtic influence and soundscapes in several of the songs. Those who are complaining about the album not meeting THEIR standards apparently do not appreciate enya's virtuosity and her artistry. The true artist will explore other paths and then be bold enough to share what he/she has learned. "Amarantine" is a remarkable cd, a high watermark for the Irish singer. For those who were disappointed, listen to "Amarantine" again. Oh, by the way, enya didn't invent the Loxian language as Dave in Burlington Ontario stated in his review! Roma Ryan, her lyricist, did! The Loxian language is reminiscent of the Elvish created by Tolkein in "Lord of the Rings." Enya fans should be very pleased with "Amarantine"; it's a hauntingly beautiful cd that enya fans will enjoy for years to come. It is, indeed, a tour de force for this lovely, talented musician who I hope won't wait five years to repeat the repeated successes of all of her cd's.
Submitted by Michael (Columbus, Georgia) 
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Enya charms me again
The familiar sound emerges as the music begins, and a new Amarantine breaks through the soothing melodies.
Submitted by bluern2004 (Charlotte, NC, USA)
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Purchase Amarantine CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Bryan Adams So Far So Good CD (1993)
Amarantine
 $11.49   
SO FAR SO GOOD (AND MORE) includes 9 previously unreleased videos.
By 1993, when Bryan Adams released his first collection of greatest hits, he had enjoyed 12 years in the music business during a span that had seen hot trends like new wave and late '80s hair metal fall by the wayside. Adams managed to stay popular by sticking with an ear-pleasing brand of rock & roll that veered between edgy, bar-band style riff rock to more earnest, American-style roots rock in the tradition of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger.
SO FAR SO GOOD gathers all the essential Adams tracks from his hugely popular '80s albums. This set of melodic rockers, inlcuding "Run to You," "This Time" "Kids Wanna Rock," and "Summer of '69" will be familiar to anyone who was near an FM radio during the era. Adams is a likeable rebel, a tough and tender troubadour singing songs that may not have been taken seriously by rock critics, but which nevertheless had resonance for millions of people around the world. Between ballads like "Heaven" and "Everything ...
| | Miracles Collection CD (2002) (Import) Germany
Amarantine
$9.39 
The 18-track COLLECTION focuses on the 1970s work by the Miracles folloing Smokey Robinson's departure for a solo career, including the disco smash "Love Machine."
While a deeper dip into the Miracles' first release (Renaissance) wouldn't have hurt, The Essential Collection is still a fine overview of their post-Smokey Robinson recordings on Motown with Billy Griffin. The CD relies heavily on cuts from their best-selling City of Angels album: "Waldo Roderick DeHammersmith," "My Name Is Michael," the dreamy "Smog," the controversial "Ain't Nobody Straight ...
| | England Dan Nights Are Forever CD (1976)
Amarantine
$9.69
Nights Are Forever was the breakthrough album for Dan Seals and John Coley after some sincere and excellent work on A&M Records in the early '70s. Two of their biggest hits were the title track and the beautiful "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight." Those songs are a good indication of the fine performances this 1976 album contains. The duo's originals like "Long Way Home" and the Dan Fogelberg-ish "Westward Wind" could have been hits as well displaying superb musicianship and delicate vocals. This album is very much a companion piece to the Parker McGee album recorded around the same time, on the same label, with pretty much the same musicians. Producer Kyle Lehning has the sounds so similar a survey panel would probably not be able to figure out which song came from which album. What Nights Are Forever has that the Parker McGee album does not is "There'll Never Be Another For Me," a song co-written by Parker McGee, England Dan, and John Ford Coley -- it is a rare look at what a perfect synergy these musicians have, and it is an exceptional song. You can feel how cautious and serious the two singers are here. By the time Dowdy Ferry Road was released in 1977 they were settling in to a formula, and 1979's Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive has low points that feel like fatigue offsetting the highs. Nights Are Forever does not suffer that hit or miss dilemma; it captures the band while in between the magical folk minstrel material they espoused ...
| | England Dan Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive CD (1978) Reissued
Amarantine
$9.55
The sincerity of their days on A&M Records has turned to total formula by the time Dr. Heckyl & Mr. Jive came around -- and Robert Louis Stevenson expert, author Ray McNally, makes it clear in his book on Mr. Hyde that the true pronunciation is Dr. Jeekill (as in, "I Kill and Hide"). It is quite a paradox that this justified attack on the Hollywood system uses the mispronunciation of this famous title which Hollywood forced upon the world. Were these singers that clever to have slipped this in as a sly parody? Probably not -- because the sentiment in the poem here is right on, but the execution of the title track, is as musically contrived as it sounds. This album shows the worst, and the best, of this productive duo. "Running After You" falls into the former category, but their hit rendition of the Todd Rundgren tune "Love Is the Answer" is up there with "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" as among their very best work. Their finding this little gem on Utopia's 1977 release Oops! Wrong Planet is commendable. In the same vein as "Love Is the Answer," "What's Forever For" is also extraordinary, featuring excellent vocal work, skilled musicianship, and top notch production by former bassist for this duo Kyle Lehning. He leaves the bass chores to Elton John's sideman Dee Murray along with Leland Sklar, John Leland, and Wilton Felder. Murray's sole contribution is on "Caught Up in the Middle," which sounds like England Dan and John Ford Coley fronting Toto, which is not a bad thing. Steve Porcaro is on synth, ...
| | England Dan Some Things Don't Come Easy CD (1978)
Amarantine
$10.65 
If Dowdy Ferry Road was their bleak moment in song, Some Things Don't Come Easy is the calm before the storm, a port prior to the schizophrenia that was Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive. Wandering songs like "Who's Lonely Now" are indicative of this album, and it is only one of two titles the singers pen together. They look alike on the smiling, happy airbrushed front cover, but you can almost see sadness in their eyes on the photos on the back. It must have been an intense period as they came up with yet another Top Ten hit, their fifth of six. "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" was written by Jeffrie Comanor and is far and away the best song on the album. This duo knew how to interpret; they were fantastic at it. The hit single is defined, the production is compact, and the loose ends that make up all the other songs on Some Things Don't Come Easy pale in comparison. The song's hook and instrumentation are so radio-friendly that the 45 could be put on repeat and after the 30th spin not bore like many of the tracks here. Sure, there is more outside material. Dave Loggins' "Lovin' Somebody on a Rainy Night," as well as Bob Gundry and Jeff Comanor's "Beyond the Tears," are adequate, but they really ...
| | Yoga: Energy CD (2002)
Amarantine
$5.69
| | Sounds Of Nature Melody Of Lost Lake CD (2000) (Import) Canada
Amarantine
$3.89
| | Steven Halpern Coping Skills For Caregivers CD (2003)
Amarantine
$13.25
| | Evens CD (2005)
Amarantine
$9.55
The Evens are comprised of Fugazi/Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye and the Warmers' drummer Amy Farina. Listeners familiar with the edgy, aggressive sound of those bands may be surprised by THE EVENS, however. This is a low-key, acoustic-oriented outing, with MacKaye playing baritone guitar (which often sounds like a bass), and Farina lending alternately driving or delicate drumming, while their voices harmonize gently, sometimes ...
| | Gentlemen Prefer Blood Illegitimi Non Carborundum CD (2009)
Amarantine
$10.15
| | Andy J Forest Hogshead Cheese CD (2002) (Import)
$12.25 |
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