“Sail away” to Enya’s island of her music and the frailties that become strong where she welcomes you on her shores. Questions arise on the melodramatic and sometimes so very vulnerable melodies that make you forget that life is not always jaded, as it seems to be. A streak of confidence, with the abundance of perfection will breathe and enliven the souls deep inside.
“Paint the Sky With Stars”, her 1997 release of the best singles in her career sets forth the changes – changes that are noticed – changes that are enjoyed from the uninhibited joy of “Orinoco Flow” to the gloomy visions of “Boadicea”. In the listening the river of her myriad vocals sing together the genuine and ethereal lyrics of Roma Ryan.
The opening theme, which was her debut single of 1988 “Orinoco Flow” start painting the canvas in an enthusiastic manner, with the swift notes of the uplifting piano. Her joyful voice scampers from one place to the other ends of the world, dragging coastlines and inspiring us to travel and explore the oceans.
“ let me sail, let me sail, let the Orinoco flow, let me reach, let me beach on the shores of Tripoli.let me sail, let me sail, let me crash upon your shore, let me reach, let me beach far beyond the Yellow Sea.”
The running tempo and the re-surfacing and flowing of the repeated “Sail away” bring one good smile on your face. “Caribbean Blue” is melancholic and inspiring with its drifting sorrow, which washes away in the circulating conclusion of her hums and the piano. Feels like a witchcraft that meets its end in the way. It has Latin phrases, which act as the sorrowful hooks.
“Book of Days” has chirpy vocal hooked by the twists and the turns, which portray the very “Irish folk” colour in it. It swerves every now and then like the journey she want to talk about, the hard way which has to be crossed, of tears and salvation. The song is partly in Gaelic (Irish), which has made the scenery startling like an escapade. Its follow-up “Anywhere Is” is equally upbeat with a merry and beautiful chorus that will gently pull your heartstrings. A superb piece of music that makes us feel that life is joyous yet like a maze that can end you nowhere. It focuses on its shuttling vocals making it sound optimistic. Even the short pause just before the ending doesn’t hamper this superb piece of music. Following it is the bonus, “Only if” is promising and euphoric like a child’s stubborn and hardships song. With the carefully derived combination of the menacing and frolicking chorus and the French patter “Ah! Je voudrai voler comme un oiseau d’aile” which soar to tell that she wants to fly sticks glued to the memory.
“The Celts” is a meticulous combination of various instruments with cheery vocals, which strike at perfect intervals. Her voice is free flowing as usual. “Saol na saol, Tús go deireadh.Tá muid beo Go deo.” These catch Gaelic lines remind us of the mankind that has to live and flourish. It unfolds with its sheer beauty like a newly born child and waves slowly, that’s one reason and the gleeful end makes it my favourite track. Want to go mellow? There’s “China Roses” Though lyrics at the foreground, the instruments arise bloom and mature and touch the zenith.
The very birth of “Shepherd Moons” calms you down, hazes visions something like aromatherapic candles. A pretty much, what I feel to be an escapist song, it was written about the moons that caress Jupiter like a shepherd. The soft patter of the wind and escalating piano-riff blinds you and you are lost in the orbit.
“Ebudae” marches slowly in between. This strikingly short melody takes dramatic turns in between casting pale and beauteous shadows while picking up the rhythm. “Storms in Africa” is an almost instrumental melody with deep enthusiastic murmurs that springs out. It is not typically “Enya” and sings of tedious journey drawing little light from “The Celts”, making another foray to shed light into the evolution and the persisting journey of mankind. “Watermark” which follows is placid and of a very genteel nature just fitting the “New Age” bill, as her music is widely described.
If you want to experience more power of her vocals, then “Paint the sky with Stars” and “Marble Halls” is here. In the former Enya asks quietly, “Who has paced the midnight sky?” shows the very dearth of instrumentation where soft hum is evident. “Marble Halls” is more of a singsong kind than its predecessor. Enya talks in her dreams. It pulls you down to confirm the love that she feels. She repeats and pleads slowly until it ends like a forgotten beautiful dream.
“On my way home” is startling stuff. It leaves you footloose, soft at first and the merry piano-riff that matures like a lotus.
The ending tracks are instrumental, “The Memory of Trees” blossoms like trees and you now know the reason why it was so named. This garden of melody shoves around like a good-will blessing from the goddess of trees. “Boadicea” has gloomy visions. It haunts the soul, making things thoughtful. It takes a turn making it creepy while the hums are remembered.
This collection ranging from her 1988 to 1997 hold you spellbound and every idiosyncratic track finishes the painting. There are simple notes, some are complicated but none are over exaggerated. They have the new age feel and Roma Ryan’s lyrics talk of universal things. They talk of those tings that stick in the sky, things that amaze you, somethings that let you down and the overall haul – the fountainhead of joy.