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Enigma: Voyageur

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Virgin Music
Released: 2003.09.30
Time:
 47:20
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Michael Cretu
Rating: *******... (7/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.enigma.de
Appears with: Michael Cretu
Purchase date: 2008.12.02
Price in €: 12,10



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] From East to West (M.Cretu) - 4:11
[2] Voyageur (M.Cretu/J.Gad) - 4:36
[3] Incognito (M.Cretu) - 4:23
[4] Page of Cups (M.Cretu/J.Gad) - 7:01
[5] Boum-Boum (M.Cretu) - 4:29
[6] Total Eclipse of the Moon (M.Cretu) - 2:16
[7] Look of Today (M.Cretu) - 3:43
[8] In the Shadow, In the Light (M.Cretu) - 5:35
[9] Weightless (M.Cretu) - 2:15
[10] The Piano (M.Cretu/J.Gad) - 3:00
[11] Following the Sun (M.Cretu) - 5:49

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Michael Crétu - Arranger, Vocals, Producer, Engineer
Jens Gad - Arranger, Engineer
Sandra Cretu - Vocals
Ruth-Ann - Vocals
Andru Donalds - Vocals
Matthew Herren - Vocals
Johann Zambryski - Artwork

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s

2003 CD Virgin 90447
2003 CD Virgin 91929
2003 CD Virgin 5913122



Enigma, aka Michael Crétu, turns out more light electronic ambience on Voyageur, mixing in an occasional twist but sticking pretty close to his successful, easily digested formula. Since Enigma’s massively popular debut MDMXC A.D., Crétu has moved toward a more New Age/adult contemporary sound, culminating with 2000’s bland The Screen Behind The Mirror. As with that record, Voyageur’s weakest moments happen when Crétu puts his mediocre vocals front and center on tracks like "Total Eclipse of the Moon." Better are more beat-oriented songs like "Boum-Boum" that concentrate on seedier, sexier material and stay away from Crétu’s sappier instincts. While overall, Voyageur counts as an improvement over Mirror, Enigma still hasn’t found a replacement for the Gregorian chants and whispery techno that made MDMXC A.D. such a groovy sensation.

Matthew Cooke - Amazon.com




Mit dem Debütalbum MCMXC A.D. von Enigma schuf Michael Cretu eine eigene musikalische Welt. Auf dem fünften Album des Projekts geht er jetzt neue Wege. Die süchtig machenden Melodien, schleppenden Beats und geheimnisvollen Harmonien stehen zwar immer noch im Zentrum, doch Cretu verzichtet diesmal auf allzu plakative Ausschmückungen. Die bisher für viele Songs prägenden Mönchs-Choräle oder Ethno-Sounds sucht man auf Voyageur vergeblich. Michael Cretu hat mit den elf neuen Titeln ganz bewusst eine neue Standortbestimmung für Enigma vorgenommen. Stücke wie "From East To West" oder "Page Of Cups" ziehen den Hörer ganz behutsam in die eigenwillig schillernde Klangwelt von Enigma hinein. So kontrastreich, von den Arrangements bis hin zur Instrumentierung, hat noch nie ein Album des Projekts geklungen. Michael Cretu hätte ohne Probleme das Sounddesign der Vorgängeralben ein weiteres Mal kopieren können. Es spricht für ihn als Künstler, dass er einen weitaus schwierigeren Weg gewählt hat, ohne damit die alten Fans vor den Kopf zu stoßen. Der ganze Detailreichtum offenbart sich erst mit der Zeit. In dieser Hinsicht hat sich zumindest nichts geändert. In einer Zeit, in der Musik immer mehr zum Hintergrundrauschen verkommt, setzt Enigma mit Voyageur einmal mehr Zeichen, die in die genau umgekehrte Richtung weisen.

Norbert Schiegl - Amazon.de



"Voyageur" ist das fünfte Album von Mastermind Michael Cretu, dem die Ideen nie auszugehen scheinen. Allein das Intro "From East to West" zieht den Hörer in einen Sog, dem man bis zum letzten Ton nicht mehr entrinnen kann. Der Titelsong "Voyageur" ist die perfekte akustische Untermalung für traute Zweisamkeit; im Gegensatz dazu sind auch Songs auf dem Album, die absolute Ohrwurmtauglichkeit haben, z.B. "Boum, Boum" oder "Look of Today". Nicht durch Zufall trägt das Werk den Titel "Reisender" - Enigma lädt dazu ein, sich auf eine akustische Reise zu begeben und der eigenen Phantasie freien Lauf zu lassen. Das Gute daran: Diese Reise lässt sich beliebig oft wiederholen.

Virgin



Michael Crétu's formula of weaving old and new world sounds through new age atmospherics and dance rhythms has resulted in four Enigma discs that have straddled the line between brilliance and self-indulgence. The plodding bombast of 2000's The Screen Behind the Mirror seemed to signal that Enigma had stretched itself to a point where an explosion of pompous musical goop was imminent. So what's to be done when the bubble's about to burst? Simply ease up, let out some of the stuffy air, and allow for some space to breathe — and that is what Crétu has done with Voyageur. Utilizing a lighter production style, his compositions benefit from the lack of themes, chants, and assorted ethereal voices that began to plague his discs while still retaining the essence of Enigma. Once again, the songs are seamlessly merged together into a flowing river of music in which there are moments of calm as well as sections that have a swift undercurrent of beats. The mandatory introductory passage, "From East to West," stretches further than on previous discs as its lightly rolling beats and simple melody suggest a move toward ambient electronica. The following title track reinforces this theory as the danceable beat propels the electro-guitar strums and backing organ like a hit song from a car commercial. "Incognito" expands the experiment a bit more by tentatively treading into Chemical Brothers territory and, as if to say he's getting back to basics, Crétu throws in a couple of "Sadeness" samples from Enigma's groundbreaking debut disc. Rounding out the excellent first half of the program is the single-worthy "Boum-Boum," where the pop sounds of *NSYNC exist happily within an Alan Parsons Project world. Although the beats continue with "Look of Today," the second half of Voyageur tends to lose focus as tracks like "Weightless" and "The Piano" sound as if they are lost in some kind of new age netherworld. However, with its strong opening and scaling back of theatrics, Voyageur is one of Enigma's more successful recordings and sheds new light on an old formula.

Aaron Latham - All Music Guide



Since his 1990 debut as Enigma, Romanian-born Michael Cretu has amassed a worldwide audience for his richly layered electronic–new age hybrid, scoring international hits with "Sadeness Pt. 1" and "Return to Innocence." His first album of new material in three years, Voyageur is an excursion not to be missed.

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