Dim the lights, sit down, relax, and slowly let your mind and soul take a trip into a world of charismatic sounds - ambient, powerful, and compelling. Welcome to the world of Enigma, Michael and Sandra Cretu's project that has managed to hypnotize the listener and transport one into the magical realm that is their music with every single album. From "Sadeness" to "Gravity of Love", Enigma has recreated the same magic in a whole new way, surprising and enthralling the audience with a new sound every time, and yet retaining that very Enigma feel that got them success. This magic is visible in their latest venture, "Voyaguer", and it captivates the mind, heart and soul of the listener from beginning to end.
The album is sheer brilliance right from the start, opening with the ambient and trippy "From East to West", and then flowing into "Voyageur", a hypnotic array of sounds and music reminding me of Enigma's earlier music, from the days of "Sadeness". Next up is "Incognito", a bass oriented trip with an electronic ambience, making it a song to close your eyes and groove on. Another song worth a mention is "Total Eclipse of the Moon" (my personal favourite), with a soft synth intro, and a voice with such feel and intensity it brings a tear to your eyes.
With "Voyageur", Enigma has managed to retain its number one status in a genre that is, well, Enigma. I say that because so far I have never been able to readily classify Enigma as new age/world music - they shift territory with every album, including this one. With "Voyageur", expect the same Enigma feel, along with a lot of electronic ambience and groove, yet retaining that hypnotic, beautiful, enthralling and magical feeling that comes with their music. All in all, a must buy for those who are familiar with Enigma's music, and even for those who want to take a trip into fantasy.
This article was first published on03 May 2003.