Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Landmark 2nd album bears 'Cross...' well., August 20, 2002
Even though Enigma first made a name for itself with its single "Sadness Pt.1" off its debut album "MCMXC A.D.", it was the release of its sophomore effort, "Cross of Changes", that really established it as a major force in new age (and popular) music. The hit single, "Return to Innocence", is such a haunting and captivating song that it still finds radio play on regular rock/pop stations almost 10 years after its release. The tribal beats mixed with modern music and combined with an evocative choral solo power this simple song about realizing what's important in life (i.e. 'returning to innocence'). It still sends chills up my spine whenever it is played. The two bookend tracks to "Return..." have also found a wide distribution, although, not as radio singles, but as frequently used scores movie trailers. Track #2, "The Eyes of Truth" is frequently used in action film trailers, most notably for "The Matrix" (though, it did not appear on the soundtrack). Track #4, the chilling "I Love You ... I'll Kill You" has found play on such movie previews as Arnold Schwarzenneger's "Eraser". "The Eyes of Truth" is an amazing track as it plays slow, thumping beats before finishing with a flourish of a soaring chorus followed by a haunting female solo. There is one other truly standout track on "Cross of Changes"... "The Dream of The Dolphin". It evokes sense of spiritual peace with nature and is quite relaxing to listen to.
The beauty of this album is that, even with the separate standout songs, it flows together as one complete journey with each song feeding seamlessly into the next. "Cross of Changes" provides a memorable musical adventure for the listener and foreshadows the greatness to come on subsequent albums "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!" and "Screen Behind the Mirror".
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Radiant!, April 4, 2000
This CD was awesome! Michael Cretu has done it again. With his first release of Enigma, I was shocked at the originality. It was just awesome how he incorporated different (enigmatic) sounds in his music and made it like one whole song. His first album was awesome with the revival of the Gregorian Chants and marvelous lyrics; now he has broght a different, powerful work with the same essence. The Cross of Changes concentrates in a Native American style instead of the Gregorain Chants. It is beautifully done! I love how Michael Cretu has thought of different cultures and times: Middle Ages of Gregorian Chants, ancient acoustic sounds mixed with modern synthtic sound, and in the song "Silent Warrior," the lyrics explain the Spanish takeover of Mayan culture. "They took their land/ They took their lives..../ White men won in the name of God." Very interesting lyrics throughout the music many involving ethical values. It begins with "The Second Chapter" describing that "we came out from the deep to help and understand and not to kill" and follows with different believes, but finally concludes: "If you understand or if you don't/ If you believe or if you doubt/ There's a universal justice/ And the eyes of the truth/ Are always watching you."
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Arguable the Best Album of the Four, December 5, 2000
Yes, Enigma is good. But which album do I consider the best of the four? Obviously, this one. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing my review here. Introduced to the four albums in reverse chronological order, "The Screen Behind the Mirror" (the latest album) was decent piece of work where Michael Cretu even resorted to sampling his own work from within the album. Songs that stuck out were "Between Mind and Heart" and "Gravity of Love." I'll give this album 4 (out of 5) stars. Enigma 2 "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!" was better than "Screen." The songs were more varied - infusing pop vocals as well as soothing melodies. Songs that stuck out were "Beyond the Invisible" and "The Child In Us." You here more of Cretu's voice in many of the pieces and a sampling in Sanskrit in "The Child in Us." This gets 4 (out of 5) stars as well. "MCMXC", of course, is Enigma's first album. Probably the mellowest of the four albums, Gregorian chants are sampled extensively. The vocals (not counting the chants) in this album are minimal. This album gave Enigma its mark in the music industry, but the pieces were a bit too mellow for my taste. It is not the type of album you'd listen to while driving alone on long trips. The only piece that was noteworthy is "Principles of Lust (Sadness)". This album gets only 3 (out of 5) stars from me. "The Cross of Changes" is the album that epitomizes Enigma. The album has up-tempo as well as soothing pieces. It features excellent vocals as well as obscure (but, now popular) samples. Containing pieces good enough to be used in the movie "The Matrix" (with "The Eyes of Truth"), and the classic "Return to Innocence" this album deserves recognition above the rest. All four albums are worth owning, but if you could only choose one, this should be it.
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