Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have read reviews of this album (and previous albums by Enya) where people say that Enya needs to pick some new instruments, write more complex music, and choose a new orchestra. These reviewers of Enya's work are simply not listening! Enya IS the instrument. Enya, quite simply, IS the orchestra. In spite of how airy and light her sound may seem, I urge you to turn this album up just a notch louder and listen to what you think is an orchestra or instrumentation on many of the songs. Don't forget that what you are hearing is Enya's own voice; layered and layered with great skill to achieve a remarkable, unified sound. No other artist in our time does this (layering the voice up to 20 times or more to create one pitch) with the uncanny talent that Enya has. It may all sound simple- but it is something that is very hard to pull off without sounding like a big mess. Enya has an amazing ability to be able to "see the big picture" (or "hear" the big picture) before, during, and after recording. Imagine being able to think of your own voice in several layers all at once- and then use those layers to build a single note and even a complete song. Suddenly there is a lot of complexity in the seemingly simple work that Enya creates! And what a beautiful album Enya has crafted for us here. I don't find this to be an overly commercial Christmas album at all; in fact I commend Enya for including "the reason for the season" many times. The first song that she sings on this album, "Journey of the Angels," is all about angels bringing gifts to the Christ Child on Christmas morning. If you listen carefully to this song, you will notice that much of what you are hearing- sounds that at first listed seem to be violin, cello, and bass- are actually those beautifully layered and crafted notes that Enya creates with her own voice. Other songs on the CD, both new and classic (such as O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and Oiche Chiuin or Silent Night) continue to mention- in a gentle way- that Christ is the reason for celebrating Christmas; not going out to party and buy expensive gifts. I generally do not like Christmas albums because they are typically secular (in other words, commercial) and never mention Christ at all. THANK YOU Enya for being daring enough to include the true meaning of Christmas on this album! (Incidentally, Enya's new version of Silent Night is listed on the album as being a "chorale" version- again, the entire chorus is made up of that skillful layering and merging of Enya's own voice!) Enya fans will not be put off by the fact that this IS a Christmas album- you can listen to it year round as that it is as lush and beautiful as all of Enya's albums. I particularly like the quiet nature of the album- many songs have the feel of snowflakes drifting over the ground; or the feel of stars on a crisp Winter night. That is another skill that Enya carries off with beauty- being able to create a feeling and a "picture" of Winter with her music. I feel that her musical vision is lost on many listeners- but many great artists who are visionary in their work are looked over by an audience that just can not understand or see their vision. Thank God that Enya still shares her vision and her fine craft with those of us who do hear what she has to say.