Artist: Enya Album: Amarantine

Year: 2005
Duration: 45:31

A Critical Review of Amarantine by Enya: Exploring the Best and Most Innovative Parts

If you’re a fan of New Age music, the chances are you’ve heard of Enya. The Irish singer-songwriter has delighted audiences for several decades with her ethereal and soothing vocals. One of her most popular albums, Amarantine, released in 2005, is truly a masterpiece. Not only does it provide a showcase of Enya’s skills as a musician, but it also takes listeners on an immersive journey. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the album and provide you with a critical review. We’ll explore the artist’s brief history, the music genre of the album, the songs to pay close attention to, the most innovative parts, and a critique of the album.

Enya comes from a family of musicians, and she’s been involved in the industry since the 1980s. One of her most notable early works is the score she composed for the BBC documentary The Celts. Since then, she has released several albums, each representing a unique journey. Amarantine is part of Enya’s discography that combines her signature sounds with a new dynamic approach. Amarantine maintains the artist's relaxational and soothing music genre while introducing new aspects such as the synthesized beats added to the songs.

One of the most striking elements in Amarantine is the song “If I Could Be Where You Are.” The track features a haunting melody and sublime harmonies backed up by Enya's voice-overs. The song immerses the listener in the saccharine lyrics revolving around love and yearning. Another powerful track in the album is “Sumiregusa,” which translates to “Wild Violet.” The song features mesmerizing instrumentals, expressive vocal variations, and relevant themes, contributing to the album's reflective and calming experience. Amarantine is distinct from other Enya's albums by its theme of love and also the use of beats and synths added to the album's classic New-age music.

Another unique aspect of Amarantine is the experimental arrangement of tracks. The album includes songs with Latin, Japanese, and Spanish influences, thereby diversifying the listening experience. This fusion of linguistics highlights the album's universality by incorporating the feeling of belonging and connecting to the different cultures. Amarantine's tracks build up to an emotional climax that feels natural and satisfying while transitioning between different languages seamlessly.

Critically, Amarantine receives high praise from industry insiders and fans. Nonetheless, the album has received criticism from some quarters for simplifying the signature layers of vocalization in Enya’s previous music works. Some argue that Amarantine departs from the more complex arrangements present in the artist's earlier albums, thereby making the album monotonous instead of uplifting. However, those analyzing Amarantine may appreciate the album's refreshing design, which borrows a lot from Classical music, making her album accessible and enriching.

Enya’s Amarantine is a journey through love, reflection, and celebration of the universal connection in the world. The album blends signature soundscapes while providing new elements such as synthesized beats and language diversity. Critics may argue that the experimentation reaches a point of simplification, but at its core, Amarantine displays the artist’s dynamic approach to the New Age music genre. It's no wonder that Amarantine remains one of Enya’s most beloved works and still resonates with her listeners to this day.