The music scene has never quite been the same ever since Enigma came out and, even now, semi-techno-fusion bands are compared to them. And finally, they’re out with a collection of their greatest hits, dating back to 1990. Of course, whether two great numbers justifies such an album is another matter.
The problem with such an album by such a band is that most of the songs sound the same, with just a couple of exceptions. All of them are characterised (in some part) by the typical Enigma sound - background beats, whispering vocals, choral chants, fusion instrumentation and a soft rock theme. Which is why very few of the songs stand out from the rest. That’s not to say the others are bad, but they’re very monotonous and that’s never a good thing for an album. So, the old favourites still are the pick of the litter here - that’s the haunting “Return To Innocence” and the made-for-fashion-shows “Sadness”. This band always sounds better in the slow, spooky, fusion pieces, such as “Out Oof Loneliness”. And “Gravity of Love” lets the vocalist let her sultry voice really belt it out.
If you’re an Enigma fan, then this album is worth your money. But, for everybody else, just go pick up a compilation which has the songs named above.
This article was first published on 10 Nov 2001.