Having listened to it a few times, and having nothing better to write, I'll do a little babbling about the latest creation of Enigma (a.k.a. Michael Cretu).

(Though I could do the same about Britney's In the Zone, I have a sneaking suspicion that a higher percentage of my readership would be interested in hearing about Enigma.)

In short: I dig this album. Moreso with repeated listening. It comes close (but still doesn't top, in my opinion) the greatness of MCMXC a.D.

Before buying it, I read a few other opinions. Some of the naysayers talking about how Enigma had lost their way made me somewhat nervous, but there were enough "yay" voiecs (combined with my own level of trust in the artist) to sway me to buy it.

(I suppose I could have tried checking it out on p2p beforehand, but sometimes, when it's an artist I already know I like, it's not only easier, but more fun to avoid the hassle and hear the pristine version first.)

As a sidenote, I found the little anti-piracy preaching paragraph printed on the insert to be far less inspiring than past Enigma album inserts. What happened to the profound quotes and cool artwork that used to accompany each release? Yeah, I guess there's also a bit of mediocre artwork in there, but it's a far cry past glories in that department. Oh well. I buy the cds for the music, not the sleeve. Still, nicer packaging is part of the incetive to not pirate stuff, and buy it instead. Ho hum. Anyway, on to the music.

Enigma has definitely evolved over the years. Voyager has a sound that, while still distinctly Enigma, is new and unique. We know we're in for a different ride when, after the fade-in (which does not start with the famous Enigma note sequence "sound", but does incorporates it into the broader mix), a fast, thumping upbeat bass line takes center stage, and comprises the body of "From East to West".

Track 2, the title track, has a similary up tempo, but brings in more instrumentation, melody, and the Voice of Enigma chanting a few lines in a non-English language. (I'll have to look up a translation one of these days. It has the sound of the Latin language used in past vocals, but the words are different, so I'm not positive about what language.)

Incognito. Oh my. The backbone of the song, as it begins, is comprised of some deep male vocals (digitally enhanced, I'm certain) repeating a set of syllables which I will not attempt to transcribe here. Words? I don't think so. More like "Ummm ahh bssch ouw ouw", done purely for musical effect. Oops, I said I wasn't going to try to transcribe them, didn't I?

Then, out come the belting vocals of Michael Cretu himself, song through a distortion filter. That part very much reminded me of some of his work on Die Chanesische Mauer (sic?).

About his vocals: The first few times I listened to them, on a good pair of headphones, they sound great; the shrill piercing singing is a perfect sonic counterpart to the heavy bass line. But when I tried listening to it on my crappy portables, the same sound became very annoying. The moral of the story? Use decent hardware, I guess.

(I partly say it because I noticed some of the other reviewers mentioning his annoying voice. Maybe it depends what you listen to it on?)

But wait, there's more. Listen carefully, and the sampled echoes from Principles of Lust comes through. Not only does it feature the vocals during the bridge and music at the end, which are relatively obvious. But all through the song, as a harmony line from near the very beginning, there's the subtle, ever-present tone of the interlude between Sadeness and Principles of Lust from MCMXC a.D.

A very clever, and musically compelling, track. (Lyrics? I'm not sure. I can't completely understand what he's saying, and I haven't looked them up online yet. Curse them for not including lyrics in the insert.) Moving on.

Page of Cups. This one is beautiful. Possibly my favorite off the album. Soothing, yet stimulating. Enigma at its best. The sampled vocal fragments and staccato waveforms are trance-inducing. Layer upon layer of music, whispering, instrumentation, sound. It's also the longest track.

Boum Boum. Haha. I can see why some people might hate those lyrics. I don't mind them, but I admit they're not my favorite. (Maybe Cretu and Spears are comparing notes? I couldn't help but notice that the title of the song is identical to track 2 on In The Zone, at least phonetically.) The female singer's voice is cool though. (If I were a true Enigma fan, I'd be able to identify the names of all these contributors just by hearing them. She's the same one who sings on Gravity of Love.)

Total Eclipse of the Moon. On this one, Michael sings in a more subdued, slower form. (Also reminding me of some of the other tracks from that older album of his.) A nice track, but it didn't make a strong impression on me.

The Look of Today. The chorus on this song totally reminds me of Roxette's "The Look". No, it's not a direct sample (slightly different wording and tone), but if I didn't know otherwise, I might guess that Per Gessle was the one singing the chorus. Actually, I don't know otherwise; I haven't it looked up in the credits. But really, what are the odds?

In the Shadow, In the Light. I like it. A nice sort of trip-hop ballad, in Enigma form.

Weightless. Blah.

The Piano. A nice transition, setting up for the finale.

Following The Sun. It has an inspiring melody, and lyrics to match. Way to go out in style.

End review. Other unrelated department below.

I'm tempted to go hit the club scene at Onyx tonight, as I haven't been in a few weeks. (Or months, now? Eeek.) What better way to blow the few dollar bills still left in my wallet?

But right now, I'm going to eat.