SHEPHERD MOONS - CD

Personnel includes: Enya (vocals, percussion); Liam O'Flionn (uillean pipes); Roy Jewitt (clarinet); Steve Sidwell (cornet); Andy Duncan (percussion). Personnel: Enya (vocals, keyboards, percussion); Liam O'Flynn (pipe); Liam O'Flionn (Uilleann pipe); Roy Jewitt (clarinet); Steve Sidwell (cornet); Nick Ryan, Nicky Ryan, Andy Duncan (percussion). Audio Mixers: Nicky Ryan; Gregg Jackmann. Recording information: Aigle Studios; Sarm west. Photographer: David Scheinmann. Arrangers: Enya; Nicky Ryan; Nick Ryan. "Heavenly" is the best way to describe Enya's ethereal voice. The Irish new age singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist is a formidable talent with a repertoire filled with gentle nuances and subtle turns. Peaceful and mesmerizing, Enya's expressive arrangements float and flow alongside musical imagery, lyrical poetry, and stunning vocals which are unrivaled, yet often copied. Based on Irish folk-roots, Enya's music is timeless and seamless, without boundaries or limits. Her exquisite vocals sweep through interwoven overdubs and multi-textured instrumentation warmly gilded by airy synthesized strings and keyboards. Her otherworldly voice is trance-like in such songs as the tranquil "Shepherd Moons," "Angeles," "Evacuee," and "Marble Halls." Accessibly lilting, awash in synth strings, "Caribbean Blue" is this album's answer to "Orinoco Flow," Enya's gigantic worldwide pop hit. The song, as all the others, transports the listener to another place. "How Can I Keep Singing?" is Irish folk music at its best. "Ebudae" is a percussive march with a mushrooming synth, and with its delicate vocals, one must marvel at the beauty of Enya's keening voice.