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don't try to dissect it, understand it, analyse it, just experience it.

A distant vocal wash builds in the background to introduce "Gravity of Love", a mix of percussion, clear sensual female vocal, and with a recurring mass male choral creating dynamic emphasis when required and then dying away again to leave a minimal song. Some songs act more like musical passages that link the more colourful and dramatic songs, but this is to be as expected when albums are meant to be experienced as a whole and not merely a collection of individual tracks. Although the idea of a concept album is a bit dated now and conjures up images of beardy denim clad rockers from the mid seventies, Enigma albums are really just that. Although unlike those older albums, here there is no story to be told, the album is still designed to be experienced as a complete piece. "Modern crusaders" is more dance orientated, a tribal backbeat underpins an impassioned musical call to arms for like-minded folk. One reoccurring sample used to build this song is the choral piece O Fortuna from Carmina Burana, that's the Old Spice music to you lot! As those august tones fade a guitar solo that is pure rock and roll takes its place and there's even room for a bit of Bach before the song evolves into the much mellower directions of "Shadows in Silence" This neatly shows the diversity of sources Enigma use to build them musical soundscapes; I call them that, as song seems to small a word.

By far the best known of their work, "Return To Innocence" soon offers itself up, tribal Indian vocal chants act as a chorus as a female vocal takes the centre stage. A mid paced groove through love and innocence, state of the art keyboard effects sit side by side with simple vocal instrumentation, the modern studio sharing the song with the campfires of long vanished plains Indians, such is the scope of a musical vision not bound by time or direction. "Sadness (part 1) " is another song that mixes old and new. The rich, dulcet tones of Gregorian chant are laid over a modern drumbeat, which in itself is smooth and stylish enough, but into this mix comes a flute riff and a sexy and breathy French vocal, mixing the heavenly and the devilish side by side. A phased out electric guitar helps pile on the dark imagery and there is a constant battle of innocent and knowing, good and bad, all the way through the song.

The eighteen tracks that make up this compilation are all songs of originality, intelligence and beauty, a fine representation of what Enigma are all about, but the band being what they are, its difficult for even such a lengthy album as this to be whole representative. This is not a greatest hits in the true sense of the word as Enigma are not orientated towards the singles release, though the few singles that they have had have been massive sellers. Instead it's a mixture or remixes, re-interpretations and establish songs melded together to create a grab-bag collection that goes a long way to sum up the essence of Michael Cretus vision. Its dance aware, world encompassing, nature, its ability to pay homage to almost every musical form past and present (not to mention creating a few new ones along the way) and its uncompromising character and boundary pushing drive means that there is something there for everyone, all you need to bring to the party is an open mind and a lot of soul.

Learn more about this author, Dave Franklin.
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