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Elly Roberts reviews
Warner Music UK
- Cat.no: 2564627972
- Released: November 2005
- Rating: 2/10
Amarantine: 
Only Time:
Five years in the making,reclusive Eithne Ni Brennan aka Enya, follows onfrom 2000’s 13 million selling album A Day Without Rain.Amarantine is her sixth studio album.
With sales of more than 65 million world-wide since her chart success in1988 with Watermark (no.5 UK) and the No.1 single Orinoco Flow(DVDfever.co.uk Dom says: “I can’t listen to that song withoutthinking of of ‘Peep Show’!) the new agesinger-songwriter has never deviated from her ethereal and romanticsoundscapes.
This, her third album of originals in ten years, finds thesuccessful partnerships with producer – arranger Nicky Ryan and lyricistRoma Ryan in familiar territory. This triumvirate don’t like rushing things,which adds to the peculiarity of its lack of conviction. What it lacks isthe killer song like Orinoco Flow, Caribbean Blue and Anywhere Is to raisethe atmosphere. The lazy pace makes more for muzak rather than music.
You’ll be able to put this CD on your player and render it a virtual ‘nothinglistening experience’ when finished. There’s nothing here that stands out orgrabs your attention in any shape or form. Its heavy going for most of its45 minutes plus. The closest you get to any semblance of a memorable song isAmid The Falling Snow which should have been the Christmas single, not thetitle song released December 5.
Of all the music I’ve heard by Enya, using Only Time: The Collection as apoint of reference, this is definitely her worst album so far.
Predictability creeps in rapidly, and I find myself crying out for somemusical adventure and real dynamics. Eventually the tedium gets a grip: Ifound myself switching off half way through. Coming to the rescue, and fartoo late, is closing track Water Shows etc. It’s the best of the bunch andquite beautiful, which contains the only sense of real adventure with lyricsin the customised language of Loxian, invented by Roma Ryan.
The album peaked at number 8 in its first week, dropping rapidly to 16 (w/e10th December), showing it hasn’t got the legs for a hugelysuccessful album in the UK. Eighth is her lowest chart peak since therepackaging of Enya as The Celts in 1992.
Her only number one was Shepherd Moons in 1991, and it’ll be quite some timebefore she reproduces that success with albums like this.
Very disappointing.
Weblink:Enya.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Less Than A Pearl
2. Amarantine
3. It’s In The Rain
4. If I Could Be Where You Are
5. The River Sings
6. Long Long Journey
7. Sumiregusa
8. Someone Said Goodbye
9. A Moment Lost
10. Drifting
11. Amid The Falling Snow
12. Water Shows The Hidden Heart
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.