Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya

Enya

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 11, 1997)
• Original Release Date: November 11, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002NJH
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (343 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #525 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Music > New Age > Meditation
  #2 in	Music > World Music > Celtic > New Age
  #2 in	Music > New Age > Celtic New Age

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
New Age diva Enya first became widely known when her 1988 album Watermark sold 4 million copies and launched the single "Orinoco Flow." Her follow-up, Shepherd Moons, was even more successful, selling over 10 million copies despite its slightly lower grade of ethereal enchantment. In 1997 she released Paint the Sky with Stars, an assortment of her best work from these two early albums plus gems from 1995's The Memory of Trees and the soundtrack to the BBC series The Celts. The most melodic and atmospheric examples of Enya's lovely Celtic-flavored songwriting shine on this disc. Those unfamiliar with the former Clannad member will find charm in such sweet lullabies as "Marble Halls" and "China Roses" while delighting in the more energetic "Book of Days," "Storms in Africa," and "Caribbean Blue." Overall, an outstanding collection from an artist who gives New Age a good name. --Karen Karleski

Amazon.com
New Age diva Enya first became widely known when her 1988 album Watermark sold 4 million copies and launched the single "Orinoco Flow." Her follow-up, Shepherd Moons, was even more successful, selling over 10 million copies despite its slightly lower grade of ethereal enchantment. In 1997 she released Paint the Sky with Stars, an assortment of her best work from these two early albums plus gems from 1995's The Memory of Trees and the soundtrack to the BBC series The Celts. The most melodic and atmospheric examples of Enya's lovely Celtic-flavored songwriting shine on this disc. Those unfamiliar with the former Clannad member will find charm in such sweet lullabies as "Marble Halls" and "China Roses" while delighting in the more energetic "Book of Days," "Storms in Africa," and "Caribbean Blue." Overall, an outstanding collection from an artist who gives New Age a good name. --Karen Karleski

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Enya, No Doubt, February 14, 2002

By	T. B. Vick "Learn 2 Discern" (The Lone Star State) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Here is a CD that will reach a wide audience - those who like soundtrack music, those who like classical style, those who enjoy what is known as 'new age' music, and the list goes on.

This is definitely the best of Enya and if you are not acquainted with Enya, this is probably the CD where you would want to start. The music is versatile, from the staccato sounds of Orinoco Flow to the smooth and flowing sounds of China Roses. In places the music is simple, in others intricate, but always enjoyable and pleasant to hear.

This CD is 16 songs from various other works. Some have made it into films other have been a hit with radio air play, but all are well performed, emotional, heartfelt and enjoyable to hear. The CD also has songs which have a Celtic feel (a style where Enya gained her start in music with her family). So, sample to songs above and hear why Enya has become so popular in the last decade. Her music is well worth the investment.

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Consider Love and Enjoy Beauty, December 9, 2003

By	A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "RIP MJ" (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya" deserves accolades. Before Enya, New Age music was only jazzy, beige elevator music. Kenny G wasn't cutting it for many of us.

This is a best-of CD, and a great place for anyone new to the genre. In mentioning that this is New Age mislabels her style, but it is by no means rock, folk or even easy listening.

You know "Orinoco Flow." That's her big hit, but my favorite it the smoothly pulsing "Anywhere Is."

To enjoy this Enya CD, you've got to like her distinct style. Unlike the interchangeability of pop radio musicians, she sings with a voice of her own. Only Enya can sing Enya songs. I wondered if I could listen to an entire Enya CD, afraid her consistency of style would grate on me. The opposite occured, and the risk became my joy.

Like Vangelis' "Chariots of Fire," pointed the listener to consider God, Enya asks us to consider love and to enjoy the natural beauty.

It is complex, with highly produced layers. The rhythms are balanced by melodies, undertones, and subtle notes. Adjust the levels on your stereo to extract all of the music. Turn up the volume, closed the shades, and soak in the rich, full impact of the grace of Enya.

I fully recommend "Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya." This is a CD worth buying and worth listening to.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Simply Magically Lustful Collection of Inspirational Songs, August 30, 1999

By A Customer

I'm telling you, this CD is just SO GOOD! Enya is a wonderful new-age musician in my books. The best thing about this album is the fact that it comprises all of her best tracks from her previous albums, plus new singles like "Only If..." and "Paint the Sky wth Stars" which show that she is no less a great instrumentalist and vocalist as she was before. There are many likeable points about this CD, especially because it really gives you the mood of experiencing a musical journey as you go through different atmospheres with each single. It's truly magical: From sailing on the Orinoco and the blue Caribbean, you enter a Book of Days where Anywhere Is anything you want it to be, and where your consideration of "Only If..." speaks of opportunities you'd never come across in common life. Then you take a trip in history to recap the melodious beauties of the Celts, who rest by the lullaby of beautiful China Roses and as they stare at Shepherd Moons. Next, your journey takes a tribal turn and follows the power of Ebudae, where you get to hear the scary yet charming tunes of the Storms in Africa. Your journey then calms down and rests in peaceful Watermark, where the swipes of music's magical brush Paint the Sky with Stars. And as you take your last steps through the polished walls of Marble Halls, you finally get to be On Your Way Home, where you bear in mind The Memory of Trees. At the end of your listening adventure, you recall the reign of Baodicea, the Celtic King, before your journey through this powerful album comes to a solemn end. Listen to this album, it's really WONDERFUL! Even if it's your first time on new-age music, this CD will definitely make you much more versatile to the various genres of this inspirational form of music. Hope you enjoy this marvellous journey! Bon voyage!