Enya

Throughout the '90s, all things Celtic enjoyed a vogue (James Horner's pipe-laden Titanic soundtrack, for one). That vogue began with Enya. Her first U.S. release, Enya, is postmodern Gaelic music, strong and lovely, consisting of pleasures that perhaps initially seemed too arcane for all but Yeats fanatics or the most catholic followers of world music. All the more suprising, then, is the fact that this ex-Clannad member and keyboard whiz has become a platinum success. Watermark -- more accessible than her debut -- is the remarkable record that established her. Some of the songs are sung in Irish (and one in Latin), but the pristine strength of Enya Ni Bhraonain's voice -- and the cinematic sweep of her songs' arrangements -- translates into an aural landscape of spare ecstasy that carries you away. "Storms in Africa," "Evening Falls," and "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)" achieve nearly mythic resonance -- and her startling fusion of passion and severity make Enya a true original. Shepherd Moons, however, is a bit of a comedown, but its inward-looking, lunar intensity continued to win Enya enough adherents that she was soon on her way to releasing a greatest-hits collection. Both The Memory of Trees and A Day Without Rain are embellishments of Watermark -- and they're sonically gorgeous. (PAUL EVANS)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide