ABOUT THE ALBUM

With the blissfully beautiful A Day Without Rain -- Enya's first album after a nearly five-year drought -- the entrancing Celtic chanteuse builds on the uniquely melodic, ethereal groove that she conceived with 1988's chartbusting Watermark. A passionate perfectionist as well as a gifted melodicist, Enya wraps her signature velvet vocals in glistening, lusher-than-life productions. In these 11 songs, her legendary voice meshes with gorgeous orchestral soundscapes, pizzicato synth strings, and carefree, springy rhythmic currents. As on previous albums, the lyrics by longtime Enya collaborator Roma Ryan dwell just on the edge of comprehension -- an affect that adds to the otherwordly mystique of the music. Delicate piano deposits a languid melody on the title track, as Enya's multilayered vocals harmonize like a choir of swooning angels. On "Wild Child" Enya builds a wall of jaunty plucked strings while singing about enjoying life with the spirit of untamed youth. In contrast, however, the ominous "Tempus Vernum" stalks purposefully with pounding timpani, coming-to-get-you gongs, and looming chanters. Like a Gaelic benediction, "Deora Ar Mo Chroi" immediately follows with airy clouds of angelic vocals and soft orchestral drones for Enya to float upon. And you'll hardly be able to resist the impulse to skip across the meadow, flower basket in hand, to the buoyant, slow-motion sway of strings and Enya's carefree vocalise on "Flora's Secret." The whole program is short but rich, and these are some of Enya's strongest melodies yet. So drink it all in, Enya fans, and rejoice at the return of one of the most alluring voices on the planet.
Carol Wright