Customer Reviews

A Day Without Rain

5 star:		(436)
4 star:		(124)
3 star:		(61)
2 star:		(34)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

As Enya's seventh official album, she still manages to produce astounding chords, harmonies, and overlapping vocals. The song of Heaven itself cannot be much better than this. _A Day without Rain_ is an absolute masterpiece, one that reaches new heights for Enya. Overall, this album seems to have a peaceful, mellow theme to it; but this theme is actually halted for one song. The following is a song-by-song experience of Enya's _A Day without Rain_.

1. "A Day without Rain" is the first and title track of the album. As a quiet and gentle piano/vocal piece, the song seems to bring to mind a silent snowfall in winter. Yet as it is titled, the song pinpoints how glorious the sunshine can be after prolonged periods of rain.

2. "Wild Child" is the second song on the album. A bit playful but still retaining an inner knowing, this song's plucking background and rhythmic singing definitely project some sort of happiness or discovery. The melody is very catchy, and you'll find yourself singing along in no time.

3. "Only Time" is the gem-like third track on _A Day without Rain_, and is featured in the film _Sweet November_. This song quiets the mind and reassures that all troubles and triumphs are handled by time. The song seems to climax halfway through, with added background vocals and melody changes. Just like a rain shower fading, "Only Time" ends as if it has given you a pearl of wisdom.

4. "Tempus Vernum" is where the theme stops, but then repeats after this song until the end of the album. Dark strings and xylophone-sound plunking give this song an edge. The chanted/sung Latin lyrics add to its eerieness, and its sound building at the end of the song leaves as quickly as it came. This is certainly a memorable piece.

5. "Deora ar Mo Chroi" is partners with "Tempus Vernum" in that the strings in "Tempus Vernum" quiet and fade into the background for this song. Serene Irish Gaelic lyrics make a very Enya-like atmosphere. If "Tempus Vernum" raised your heart rate, this song definitely slows it down.

6. "Flora's Secret" is a lovely song with a pleasing melody and rhythm about two lovers and the stories told to them by Flora. Again using strings and airy background vocals, this song will put a smile on your face.

7. "Fallen Embers" is a contrast to "Flora's Secret." Using a piano and Enya's voice as a solo, this song tells the story of losing a love, and reminiscing about how the world seemed so much better when her love was with her. What a sad but beautiful song! A real tear-jerker for anyone that has ever had to cope with loss.

8. "Silver Inches" almost seems like an attempt to brigten the mood of the sorrowful person in the last song! Using string-like (or maybe just string) instruments, this song's staccato fading to legato sound is absolutely marvelous.

9. "Pilgrim" in style and feeling seems to resemble "Only Time," but not in sound! With Enya singing solo again (other than quiet background vocals through half of the song), the swaying melody and wisdom-filled lyrics create an almost comatose piece.

10. "One by One" is another catchy melody with strings and lovely vocals, about the adventures befalling a "he" and "she" who repeatedly leave each other. The chorus, "one by one my leaves fall, one by one my tales are told" almost give the feeling that the singer is telling their life story in this song.

11. "Lazy Days," the last song (on the U.S. release) on _A Day without Rain_, is easily one of my favorites. A completely fun song about having a day or two to do "nothing." The loose lyrics and spunky melody combine to form a joyous atmosphere. The "chorus" of climaxing "da da da da da da da da da"'s make you want to dance. This is the perfect ending to a perfect album.

In short, _A Day without Rain_ may just be Enya's best album yet. Although the length is little over 30 minutes, the quality of this music is worth every penny. Absolutely amazing!

I must begin by saying this: Enya is simply and utterly the most amazing artist I have ever discovered, and will surely remain as such for all eternity. Her capability to keep creating albums and songs that are all so different, yet all so amazing and beatiful, is genius!

The album begins with the pure and refreshing title track, which is an instrumental. As an added bonus, there are vocals throughout the song by Enya.

Then you are taken to a brighter, less serious level in "Wild Child", whose title fits perfectly! This song is joyous and slightly spunky, and reminded me a little of "Anywhere Is".

The single and third album track, "Only Time", is calming and reassuring, and seems to say that worry is worthless, since all is in Time's hands.

"Tempus Vernum" seems to stir up every sense in me. This is easily one of my favorites from the album, and is a Latin chant that crescendos to the very end.

The effect that occurs between the fourth and fifth songs is very interesting. When "Tempus Vernum" ends, the background actually fades into the background for "Deora Ar Mo Chroi".

This Irish Gaelic song's translations are given in the album booklet, which speak of the earth's voices singing and gentle skies falling. It also mentions the singer's voice rising to the sky and "telling all that I believe in". The song ends with the knowledge that the earth will sing again after night concludes.

"Flora's Secret" is, surprisingly, a love song. The background sounds very much like the beginning of "Wild Child", but the melody and lyrics differ extremely. This song is light and full of the comfort of love between two people.

The seventh song on the album, called "Fallen Embers", seems to tell a personal love story between the singer and someone close her. It is reminiscent of time spent with this person, how nights seemed to last forever, and how their hearts were singing. While the song speaks of love lost, Enya manages to hint at hope and gives the listener a bittersweet reaction.

"Silver Inches" is a delightful interlude for this album and entertains happily before the ninth track.

"Pilgrim" is a sober yet retainingly beautiful piece about journeying in self-discovery and life itself.

The next song provides another relationship song, "One By One", filled with partings between the characters and then, without outright mention, coming together again. This airy piece begins the conclusion to A DAY WITHOUT RAIN.

"Lazy Days", I must say, is just about the most perfect ending for a music journey that I can imagine. The lilting track's beginning even gives off an almost "goofy", lighter side of Enya. The piece continues into spending days doing nothing but enjoying the present, and the vocal "chorus" stirs the memory of laughing children.

For anyone who is considering purchasing this album, or even if you are not very convinced by now, I URGE you, BUY THIS CD! You will definitely NOT regret it! There is no proper or possible way to describe the effect Enya's music has on the public, and I am sure that my review comes short of its goals, but one important goal has been reached: spreading the joy of Enya and her music!

Finally after waiting five years Enya has finally returned with all new material. While I am proud of owning this CD I kind of feel a smidgey bit cheated. First off this CD is only 34 and a half miniutes long. It seemed more like a demo tape. I have CD singles that are more than 34 minutes long. She could maybe on her next album compose songs that are an average of five or six minutes long. And a couple of songs are like unfinished demo tapes. Deora Ar Mo Chroi and Silver Inches are probably the most uninspired boring tracks Enya has ever written.

That doesn't mean that this album is less than great. It's actually one of my favorite albums of 2000. I ran out and bought it on the day it came out. While I miss the dark and stromy atmosphere of Watermark what Enya has offered is no less than amazing. This album is by far her sunniest and most cheerful album to date.

The title track is your typical piano instrumental with some vocals here and there. Wild Child is a beautiful song with plucky strings and a very sunny atmosphere and rhythm. Only Time is like Anywhere Is but much slower. This is from what I guess is her biggest hit since Orinoco Flow from 13 years ago. This another beautiful song. Tempus Vernum is the winner on ADWR. This song is totally different from the previous songs. It's a very Gothic song with lyrics sung in Latin. This is like a severe thunderstorm. The only complaint is that it's only 2 and a half minutes long. It could have been lengthened to about 5 minutes. Deora Ar Mo Chroi is like the calm after the thunderstorm has passed. Unfortunately I am not very moved by this song. It is one of my least favorites on this album. Floras Secret is a beautiful song about two lovers dancing in a garden of petals in a blue sky. Definately one of my favorites on this album. Fallen Embers is a bueatiful song that sounds a bit like China Roses but not as romantic as that one but nonetheless a nice song. Silver Inches is a short instrumental that could,ve been left off this album. It should have been replaced with Isobella. Isobella is a beautiful haunting song that is only available on the Japanese import version of this album. Silver Inches is probably the most uninspiring song Enya has ever done. Pilgrim on the other hand is a very serene song that I would play when sailing along the river on a warm cloudy evening. One By One is another good song. One of the strongest songs on this album. Lazy Days is a great closer to this album. It sounds a lot like On My Way Home but brighter and more optimistic. It's like the third companion of Orinoco Flow.

Overall while this album is flawed this is a great new offering from one of my all-time female singers. My wish though is that she would include Isobella on this album. As I said before it's a beatiful haunting song that would have beat every other song on this album. In fact Enya should stop and compile a CD full of B-Sides and rare songs. There are at least ten of them. It would show an even greater prospective of Enyas amazing talent. Another wish is that maybe her next album could be more electronic sounding like Watermark and at least 55 minutes long.

An even cooler thing that could happen is a collaboration between Enya and New Age musician Patrick O'hearn. Just imagine Enyas haunting vocals combined with O'hearns soaring ambient electronic synthesizers. It would be the best New Age album ever. I can smell it in the air.

But even though that may not happen Enya will remain one of my top five favorite divas of all time. Go and buy this album. While I mostly recommend it to veteran fans it would be a great introduction to new fans as well.

Well that's all folks.... He! He!

I'm appalled by some of the reviews I've seen for this album. My day is not complete without listening to it. It's a "brighter" side of Enya. Her last album, 1995's "The Memory Of Trees", was beautiful but dark, with full heart-tugging melodies and thought-provoking lyrics. "A Day Without Rain" is much simpler, but still just as beautiful. She continues her tradition of having the title track of her album an instrumental track, and "A Day Without Rain" is a beautiful song. Some people complain that she doesn't sing on all of the songs - but they forget that Enya plays all instruments on her albums, and that every vocal you hear is Enya's. No wonder it takes so long for Enya to record her albums. Stand-out tracks: Wild Child (for the Kokopeli [spell] in all of us), Only Time (first single/video - FANTASTIC), Fallen Embers (great wedding song), One By One, and Lazy Days. Enya is a genre in herself. Hopefully, her next album won't take 5 years to complete, but even if it does, my copy of "A Day Without Rain" will not leave my cd player, and probably still won't long after her next masterpiece is set out into the world.

I have been listening to Enya since I was 13 and I have to say she has never let me down. I am so impressed with her new recordings. Lazy Days and Wild Child and One by One, are the best in my eyes. I have listened to this CD a million times already and will be buying the CD for many of my friends this holiday. I am sure they will love it! She has retained some of her "sounds" from Memory of Trees. But that does not hinder her new songs. You will surely enjoy it. I still get goose bumps when I listen to her music.

All human beings suffer.

We suffer at different rates. In between moments of suffering there are moments of intense enlightenment, introspection, self-awareness, joy.

These are the very moments Enya captures in "A Day Without Rain."

I am not an Enya fan. Never heard of her before the song "Only Time" haunted my life three times in one week. First, I heard her song in a movie preview while waiting to watch "Hanibal" (great soundtrack by the way). Later in the same week I fell asleep with the TV on. I woke thinking for a moment that I had died and crossed over. I heard this angelic music, a prayer in musical form filling the night. It was Enya performing on Leno. Finally in the same week, I watched "Providence" with my wife. This particular show really touched me. Then this same song began invading my soul. The show ended with a powerful intertwining of "Only Time" with the show's suffering characters.

The entire CD is a prayer, a Psalm, a hymn. You can't listen to this CD without changing. Enya invades your heart, soul, and mind. She encourages you to believe that you're not just the chance explosion of thinking cells. You are a spiritual being with a hold on eternity. You are forever.

I encourage you to listen, learn, grow, love.

Love and good journey,

Kevin

I reviewed the US version of this CD, but later I had the chance to hear 'Isobella' and WHAM! What a song! It beats any other song on 'A Day without rain', and could well rank among the finest songs Enya has ever recorded.

This Japanese release is coveted in the US solely for this track. You may have downloaded it from the Net but believe me when I say that it is WELL WORTH the price of this CD to have 'Isobella' on disc.

'Isobella' is at once spiritual and haunting, bringing back memories of 'Smaointe' and 'Na lactha geal m'oige', though it beats those tracks by a wide margin. Enya has never sounded better, and its nice to see that all the hype surrounding this one song was well placed - it does live up to all the talk about it, and gives us back the Enya we know and love - I almost thought we had lost her when I first listened to 'A Day without Rain'.

'Isobella' is a hymn and a chant at the same time, but it also breaks new ground in New Age music. I wont give too much away, but just get this CD and give the song a listen. Its incredible, magical, and absolutely breathtaking. Fabulous work, Enya !

When I was ten years old, my family and I went on a vacation up the coast and through the woods of Oregon and Washington. All through our journey, there was this mystical, breath-taking music floating through our car. The haunting melodies seemed to be written for the landscapes we were seeing-- waves crashing on the sand, yellow and purple sunsets. Over the years, I would remember that vacation and that music, but I never would find out who was performing the music or where the tape was that my mother played in our car. Three years later, I was in a dance recital. The opening song of the show was "Storms in Africa II." I can't even begin to describe that performance and how beautiful the dancing was. But to this day, I don't think it was the dancing so much... it was the MUSIC. I ended up discovering "Watermark" in a pile of cassettes, two years later, when I was fifteen. I put the connection together-- the music I heard at the recital and in the car was the same alluring music. There I was, introduced to "Watermark." And what was I? One word. Hooked. And suddenly, out comes "A Day Without Rain." Enchanting! I am getting sick and tired of reviewers saying that Enya has done nothing new! Come on, people, what do you want her to be singing... Britney's "Stronger" or what??? Enya has her own distinct style. She sounds like very few singers in the music industry. That's what makes her so charming-- both as a human being and as a musician. She doesn't sound like a "copy cat" of some other artist. I must admit, some of the songs on "A Day Without Rain" have a very similar sound to some of the previous albums. But who cares! These songs are new. Appreciate Enya for who she is and her unique style-- please don't critize every little thing she does wrong on each album! The best song, in my opinion, on the album is "Only Time." Words can not express what this song does to me. I listen to it every morning to start off my day. My next two favorites are "One By One" and "Wild Child." My least favorite would have to be "Tempus Vernum." It has that totally mystical charm, but I prefer the more happy songs (with a strong percussion) from Enya such as "Wild Child" and the previous sounds of songs like "Storms in Africa,"("Watermark") "Carribean Blue" ("Shepherd Moons"), and "On My Way Home" ("The Memory of Trees"). Good work, Enya, on a job well done. If you have been debating whether or not to buy this album, please go out and get it! You won't be disappointed. I wouldn't be surprised if you, too, will soon become another "obsessed Enya fan."

Enya's music continues to amaze and delight me. Her new CD "A Day Without Rain" is no exception. I was disappointed, however, in the length of the CD. The total playing time is only 37 minutes. I felt cheated. This is half the playing time of most CDs. Come on, Enya, give us more.

Enya sings right from heaven, calming and soothing, but also touching, more than ever. If you are familiar with Enya's previous albums, you will fall in love with "A Day without Rain" immediately, right from the opening theme song. Most listeners will recognize "Only Time", probably Enya's best-known song. If you are new to the world of Enya, you will like her peaceful style, rich with voice harmonies sung by herself alone, ethereal melodies, and an accompaniment consisting of synthesized textures and string orchestra. If you want to let yourself relax, simply put on this CD and drift away. One final recommendation: if you like Enya's music, you will love Arye Geiman, a very romantic composer, whose music really awakens your imagination. You can listen to it on the CDBaby web site.