The Memory of Trees [LP]

by Enya

Overview

No surprises here, of course -- Enya didn't achieve new age superstardom by challenging anyone's expectations. This album is every bit as hushed, lovely, and soulless as everything else she's ever done; like a perfect angel food cake, it's sweet, soft, and utterly lacking in nutritive substance. There's nothing the matter with angel food cake, of course, and there's also nothing really the matter with The Memory of Trees, though its Druidic theme does smell awfully trendy (nothing was quite so hip as neopaganism in 1995), and it steers so strictly the same melodic and textural course she's been following throughout her solo career that you're tempted to wonder why anyone would want to spend the money on what amounts to a complete rehash of her earlier work. While other cultural influences play a greater part in this album, the beautiful and brooding Celtic melodies she brought with her from her earlier work with Clannad are still the primary raw materials, and her skillful use of them is still the main thing that sets her apart from the new age pack. She also has a truly lovely voice, and there's no point trying to resist the gentle charm of "China Roses" and the incantatory power of "Anywhere Is." But so little of the album lives up to the promise of these and one or two other tracks that it's hard to recommend it very enthusiastically. [The Memory of Trees was released on LP in 2016.] ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	11/11/2016
Label:	Reprise / Rhino
UPC:	0825646467938

Tracks

1. The Memory of Trees
2. Anywhere Is
3. Pax Deorum
4. Athair Ar Neamh
5. From Where I Am
6. China Roses
7. Hope Has a Place
8. Tea-House Moon
9. Once You Had Gold
10. La Sonadora
11. On My Way Home

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Enya   Primary Artist,Keyboards,Vocals,Violin,Piano,Cello,Multi Instruments,Percussion,Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Nicky Ryan   Engineer,Mixing Engineer,Producer,Composer,Arranger
Enya   Composer
Roma Ryan   Composer
Arun Chakraverty   Mastering Engineer
Rob Dickins   Executive Producer