Lose yourself in Enya

I do not know if she does concerts or much of television. If not then it has been five years since we last heard anything from Enya. The Irish nightingale’s last release was the huge-selling A Day without Rain which set several records saleswise and which made her one of the most successful female artists in music history. Do not be surprised if you did not hear anything about that. Like the music she makes, Enya’s approach to success also seems unhurried and a total departure from the pace and funfare that pop stars are accustomed to.

Besides while waiting for her new album, her loyal followers were perfectly content listening to her earlier hits like The Celts, Watermark, Shepherd Moons, The Memory of Trees, Paint the Sky with Stars and of course, A Day Without Rain. Take note, while certainly quiet in their adulation, it is no secret that there are indeed a lot of Enya fans out there. Proof is that Day was Platinum several times over and I read somewhere that Enya has already sold nearly 70 million records worldwide.

I understand very well why they keep buying her albums. New or old, Enya’s music has this relaxing, invigorating effect on listeners which resembles the feeling you get after a good massage or an intense yoga session. And in those situations, it does not matter at all if the music is old or the hottest new entry in the hit charts.

Her latest is titled Amarantine but it could have been called The River Sings or Water Shows the Hidden Heart or any of the other cuts. It could have also been released five or even ten years ago. Enya’s music has not changed in any way. She presents the same singsong vocals set against lush synthesizers backed by a haunting choir. It seems like A Day Without Rain segues effortlessly into Less Than a Pearl, the first cut of Amarantine. This however, does not lessen the mystical beauty of the songs in any way. In fact it brings a hint of familiarity akin to what you get when meeting old friends or better yet on hearing a childhood lullaby.

Come to think of it, this must be one important reason why Enya songs just keep on selling even while there are times when we do not know what she is singing about. I do not know what Amarantine is. Is it a place, a girl’s name or a flower or another word for love? Then if you will take a look inside the album cover, you will notice that some of the lyrics are also written in an unfamiliar script, the Loxian language. What is Loxian? Would you believe that it was the creation of Enya lyricist Roma Ryan and is therefore fictitious? No matter. Real or not, it still serves to heighten the mystery that surrounds Enya and the things she sings about.

So lose yourself in this one. As the year nears its end we can all do with some introspection and Enya is only too glad to help. She sings in Water Shows the Hidden Heart. "It is a long way through darkness/ to the way of the eremite, the eremite sings of the world and of the journey of love/ which is not lost in eternity."

Top-selling Christmas albums

We got very few top-selling Christmas albums this year. Looks like local producers would much rather invest on quick selling albums rather than wait for a few years before recouping their investment. Still I am glad that we got the landmark two-volume Pasko by the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Chorale, produced and arranged by Ryan Cayabyab, which has emerged as the best and the biggest selling Filipino Christmas album for the year.

In the US, the number one album in this year’s Christmas chart is Christmas Songs by Diana Krall featuring The Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. The others in the top twenty are The Christmas Collection by Il Divo; The Lost Christmas Eve by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra; Christmas Eve and Other Stories also by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra; Christmas Celebration by Mannheim Steamroller; A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio; Now That’s What I Want for Christmas by Various Artists; The Christmas Attic by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra; The Greatest Holiday Classics by Kenny G.

Merry Christmas with Love by Clay Aiken; Now That’s What I Call Christmas! 2: The Signature Collection by Various Artists; Merry Christmas by Mariah Carey; Rose of Bethlehem by Selah; 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas by Various Artists; Christmas with the Rat Pack by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr.; Dig That Crazy Christmas by The Brian Setzer Orchestra; WOW Christmas by Various Artists; The Christmas Sessions by MercyMe; and Harry for the Holidays by Harry Connick Jr.