Enya, And Winter Came (2008) Review

Oscar^® nominee Enya (2002, Best Music, Original Song, The Lord Of The Rings) is known in the film world for the imaginative power of her soundtracks. After selling over 70 Million albums worldwide, Enya returns with an epic Winter themed album for this holiday season. And Winter Came…

Having followed her career since her first big hit, Orinoco Flow, in 1989 to the high flying successes of The Book Of Days, Anywhere Is, May It Be and the haunting Boadicea, I was keen to see what Enya’s ninth studio album would yield.

Not surprisingly And Winter Came is a Christmas album consisting of 12 tracks, 10 of which are original compositions, and “Oíche Chiúin” which is sung in Gaelic and ‘”Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel” in English and Latin. With that in mind, I felt confident in what to expect; a collection of songs which would be quintessentially Eyna in sound, style and delivery but with a strong emphasis on the seasonal aspect. And with that in mind, I was soothingly carried off to winter landscapes and the towering snowy peaks of times long lost.

The title track And Winter Came is a bittersweet opener to the album, there is something fragile but enduring about its slow build, but it is effective in the scene it wants to paint for us, leading us through the snow into the warmth where Enya has more songs for us. The second song Journey of the Angels starts off a bit familiar but the chorus really picks up and takes you along gently through these winter ages. The third track really goes for the Christmas feeling and you can’t help but want to have a mug of eggnog or gluwhine to sip as you decorate the tree with your loved ones nearby. It’s kitschy and cheesy, yes, but it’s also in the spirit of Christmas and that’s what the record company are hoping you’ll go for during the current credit crunch era.

It’s the next song however that I was most curious about, being one of my all time favourite Christmas hymns, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Over the years I’ve known many versions of this song, but Enya’s has to be the I love the most. Sure enough it begins very quietly, and there is a hint of Boadicea just beneath the surface, but all together her voice works perfectly to this song and makes it one of the standout tracks on the album.

The lead single from the album is Trains and Winter Rains and is wonderful full vocal track which makes you think of those cold nights making your way home with bundles of Christmas presents in your arms to wrap when you get home. The orchestration is strong and dramatic, but at the same time fits the mood very well, bringing back memories of Book of Days and even Orinoco Flow which is now nearly 20 years old!

Dreams Are More Precious feels more like an album filler, nothing which we haven’t heard before. “Last Time By Moonlight” follows a similar style and by this time I am wanting to flick through to the next song. It’s not until track 11, My! My! Time Flies that things begin to pick up again, this is the real star of the album and really different from anything else I have heard from Enya before; it’s got a real nice steady pace and fast BPM and makes you want to put down your eggnog, clap your hands and tap your feet. You could even swing your grandma around the living room a few times on Christmas Eve while this one’s playing! I really enjoyed this song and would have it on repeat for quite a few times on my ipod or at home when I’m entertaining friends and family over for Christmas. It does however make me think of “Ticket To Ride” by the Beatles for some reason.

All in all, one can’t help but feel that as talented and loved as Enya is, she does go for the easy album, making the same familiar “ooohs” and “aaaahs” we all know so well but never managing to challenge her audience or to take a chance and try different sounds, producers or vocal styles. I can’t help but feel she might benefit greatly to work with people like William Orbit, Michael Nymann, or Deepak Chopra but as long as she steers away from Timbaland I’d be happy.

For an album with 12 songs there are only 4 really great tracks that you won’t find on any other Enya album, but the rest are too familiar. The album closer, Oíche Chiúin is a re-recording of a song first released in 1988 as a b-side for “Evening Falls while And Winter Came… is a reworking of Midnight Blue which was first released in 2001 as the b-side to Wild Child.

Static Mass Rating ★★★★★

And Winter Came was released in November 10th 2008 by Warner Bros.