Enya

Many modern music fans may cringe at the mention of the name Enya. That's because the New Age chanteuse drudges up images of babbling brooks, chakras, stones, self-help books about getting in touch with your "chi" and other assorted "hippie" topics. But 13 million Enya fans can't be wrong. Can they?

And Winter Came is the latest entry in the Enya sweepstakes. It's a soothing collection of airy, ethereal and festive Christmas-themed compositions that are totally and completely Enya-fied. They have both a folksy and classical bend. These tracks are also sung in an angelic, delicate and refined vocal style that can make grown men weep. Enya is able to captivate and command attention in a low-key way, which is difficult to do. She is popular music's equivalent of those pesky Sirens in Homer's Odyssey. She can lure men to their deaths thanks to the way she uses her seductive, genteel larynx.

And Winter Came makes effective use of a chorus at times, but it's always the Enya show, where her voice is the superstar. "White is the Winter Night" is upbeat and fit for listening to while riding in a one-horse, open sleigh, while her heavenly rendition of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" emits the slightest bit of chill. "My! My! Time Flies!" is another happy number with a punchy little beat living under Enya's layered harmonies. Lesser known holiday tunes like "The Spirit of Christmas Past" also appear on And Winter Came, so the album offers an eclectic mix of songs to blare during those (often dreaded) holiday gatherings and parties. The album closer "Oiche Chiuin" is at once wistful and epic and is essentially "Silent Night" sung in English and Irish Gaelic dialects. There's no mistaking that these songs have been retrofitted to Enya's gorgeous vocals, which admittedly are not for everyone. So for all the granola crunchers who want to drink eggnog while spreading some Yuletide cheer without succumbing to the fuddy duddy family classics of, say, Bing Crosby, Enya has answered your holiday prayers with And Winter Came.

— Amy Sciarretto
12.10.08

In 2006 Enya released her most subtle and song-oriented album to date. Amarantine may have paled in comparison to Watermark or Shepherd Moons, but its under-produced (in Enya-world) balladry was a small leap forward for the reclusive Irish superstar. 2008's And Winter Came follows in the same footsteps as Amarantine, but it hints at the grandeur of earlier recordings, specifically 1994's Christmas EP. Enya's ferociously multi-tracked recording style lends itself well to the season, filling in the simplistic lyrical holes with small avalanches of vocal harmonies and the dated but reliable keyboard patches that have come to define the singer/composer's work over the years. Enya, lyricist Roma Ryan, and producer Nicky Ryan have crafted a pleasant little snow globe of an album that sounds exactly like one would expect from the longtime collaborators. For the most part the formula is intact, boasting a soft Edward Scissorhands-inspired intro, copious amounts of secular and non-secular ballads (all original), and two or three upbeat, midtempo jams to break the stillness. Of the former, the lovely and reverent "Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is the most effective, while the galloping "White Is in the Winter Night" leads the pack for the latter. There are copious amounts of "stars in the skies" and "bells ringing," and even a surprising left turn (maybe even a complete u-turn) near the end on "My! My! Time Flies!," a straight-up "Beatlesque" pop tune with drums and a screaming guitar solo that sounds like something off of a late-'60s Bee Gees record. As usual, Enya fans will be pleased with the results while non-believers will find that the same arguments against her are still valid, but in the end And Winter Came is an undeniably welcome addition to the holiday season, if only for its effortless, white, spray-painted pinecone elegance and potpourri-scented, gift shop comforts. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide