Enigma. A mystery. A riddle. A timeless journey of indefiniteness... the brainchild of Michael Cretu.
In the annals of world music, Enigma has etched it’s name in gold. The project started and sustained by Michael Cretu was a sonic experiment that melded vocal and instrumental passages to create a music as incredible as it was soothing.
Enigma’s debut Album MCMXC A.D. shot them into the limelight with a song called Sadeness. It brought forth a wave of fresh sound that had the power to caress the soul. Enigma had taken flight.
Having built a cult following, Enigma had the daunting task of providing the perfect follow up to MCMXC A.D. That follow came in the form of The Cross Of Changes.
More vivid and structurally powerful than it’s predecessor, The Cross Of Changes spawned a number of new age hits including one of Enigma’s greatest songs The Return to Innocence.
The album is a cocktail of Celtic vibes, American Indian chants, searing synthesizers, pulse pounding drum loops and pure unadultrated passion.
The Songs
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The album opens with the introductory passages of Second Chapter that brings forth the impression that this album is a seamless continuation of the first album. The Eyes Of Truth displays the sonic structure that has become Enigma’s signature. The song is your first dose of spiritual cleansing as it sears through your body and soul.
It’s from the third song, Return To Innocence, that the album hits full bloom. The haunting chants and layered sound touches a chord within your heart. The song went on to become a huge hit and spawned an incredible video that won critical acclaim. Remember the fruit falling upwards and connecting with the stem that it was once part of? Remember everything going backwards?
Then comes the intense I Love You...I’ll Kill You followed by Silent Warrior and the serene The Dream Of The Dolphin - a song that features a haunting piano melody that can take you on an elusive spiritual cruise.
Age Of Loneliness (Carly’s Song) brings back the chants backed by an entirely new surrounding of wailing instrumentals and arousing tones.
My pick of the album, is the haunting and intense Out From The Deep. Backed by a female voice, Michael Cretu sings with the passion of a man on a mission - to invoke the senses via his music. The song builds in tempo and finally slips into an outburst, a wailing guitar solo that leaves you drained, yet peaceful within.
Enigma and Cretu sign off with the title track The Cross Of Changes and as the female voice sums up the essence of Enigma, you feel a sense of accomplishment... a thought deep inside that you have experienced something unique... something pure.
The album is a spiritual cleanser... a time machine that takes you far away from this world of stress... it also reminds you of the mistakes one makes and the paths that one must tread in order to find that inner peace...
As impure as the human race is... we have created many things that are pure... music being one of them...
~finis~