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review by Dene Bebbington Over a decade ago, Enigma pioneered the seemingly incongruous but actually pleasing mix of Gregorian chant with modern electronic music, and since then others such as Eric Levi have followed in their footsteps making it become a bit of a musical cliché. Enchanted Spirits is perhaps the latest example of this genre, sounding more pop/dance oriented than Enigma, it's still a fine blend of voices and upbeat electronic music. Also worth mentioning is that it comes in a classy digipak with great artwork making it visually a very attractive package. Rhythms, beats, and melody are definitely the order of the day on this album. The voices provide additional melodic elements besides acting as a calm counter to the beats and upbeat rhythms. I like the choice of both female and male (rather than solely male) vocals to perform the Gregorian chants - whether separately or both together. Another nice touch is the use of English and Latin lyrics in some songs; this works especially well in "Hymn" which is one of my favourites with its percussive rhythm, wistful synth passages, and delightful female vocals. Towards the end, the album gets noticeably dance-oriented in style, despite those tracks being good I find myself drawn to the mid-tempo more restrained pieces that have a nice subtlety to them. Interestingly, when the track "Ritmo" got going I wondered if it's a nod to Enigma because the beginning chant, beats, and sliding synth sounds hint at their famous piece "Sadeness" without obviously reworking it. Enchanted Spirits is a great commercial electronic music album that is enhanced by the Gregorian chant. It can be played for careful listening or just used as sonic wallpaper. Every track probably won't hit the right spot but overall I recommend it to those not put off by pop/dance motifs. Besides, if you close your eyes you might just imagine walking through semi-dark cloisters of ancient monasteries, as ghosts of people long gone sing songs of the divine and sensuousness in a form the living can appreciate. |
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