Voyageur

Enigma | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 30, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B0000C7PQK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (165 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,224 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Ambient Pop
  • #21 in Music > Dance & DJ > World Dance

Track Listings

1. From East to West

2. Voyageur

3. Incognito

4. Page of Cups

5. Boum Boum

6. Total Eclipse of the Moon

7. Look of Today

8. In the Shadow, In the Light

9. Weightless

10. The Piano

11. Following the Sun

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Enigma, aka Michael Crétu, turns out more light electronic ambience on Voyageur, mixing in an occasional twist but sticking pretty close to his successful, easily digested formula. Since Enigma’s massively popular debut MDMXC A.D., Crétu has moved toward a more New Age/adult contemporary sound, culminating with 2000’s bland The Screen Behind The Mirror. As with that record, Voyageur’s weakest moments happen when Crétu puts his mediocre vocals front and center on tracks like "Total Eclipse of the Moon." Better are more beat-oriented songs like "Boum-Boum" that concentrate on seedier, sexier material and stay away from Crétu’s sappier instincts. While overall, Voyageur counts as an improvement over Mirror, Enigma still hasn’t found a replacement for the Gregorian chants and whispery techno that made MDMXC A.D. such a groovy sensation. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description

Enigma Photos

More from Enigma

Love Sensuality Devotion: The Greatest Hits	MCMXC A.D.	The Screen Behind the Mirror
Enigma 3: Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!	A Posteriori	MCMXC a. D. - The Complete Album DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enigma. A Journey to the Future of Music., October 10, 2003

By 

Mars Velvet (Green Tree, Blue Earth...Deep Space) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyageur (Audio CD)

I have always been a devout fan of Enigma as I tend to favor music styles such as ambient, new age, world, and music of the avant-guarde. Enigma seems to be able to straddle both the edge of music while still allowing itself to be accessed by random listerners looking for something fresh and new.

So about VOYAGEUR, there are many mixed reactions so I decided to let the album grow on me for a week or so before writing anything. Here are my thoughts:

Enigma has grown and moved away from silky ambient sampled themes and is marching toward a world beat mixed with an edgier rhythm and more diverse vocals. A fantastic leap into something new for such an established project like Enigma.

The album opens up with a warm muted piano laced under soft sounds rushing suddenly with an urgent beat. "From East to West", the intro, may be the announcement that Enigma is about to move forward into the future. Then in "Voyageur" a guitar plays while a strange meloncholy baseline meaders from nowhere. Quivering sampled voices bring an eerie feel to the song.

"Incognito" comes on with a looped vocal with a steady beat and a far off male voice singing. Next is an ode to a tarot card in "The Page of Cups" with sounds of birds and perhaps a far off boombox which is drowned away by slow beats of trance music.

"Boum-Boum" is most likely to be a single. A sorta Euro-dance/outer space boogie with a female voice singing about longing so much her heart goes "boum"! Suddenly a male voice responds and the beat is carried deeper. A great track! This song is begging to be remixed!!

"Total Eclipse of the Moon" brings some synth strings and classical tones and a beautiful song. If you like Peter Gabriel, you will like this song! A muted grinding rhythm finds itself a voice "In the Shadow, In the Light". Very understated...perfect!

The muted piano returns for an ambient dance sonata in "The Piano". Then the album finds fruition with "Following the Sun" a sweet musical number with both male and female vocals taking the album from start to finish...from east to west...following the sun...following the future.

Remember listening to the first Enigma CD and thinking "this music is so on the edge and new"? Well listen to this with an open mind and you will be hearing again music that is new!

Enjoy this CD!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Curly MC does it again!, October 5, 2003

By 

Leonardo Nascimento (Florianópolis, SC Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyageur (Audio CD)

Since 1990 I've been a fan of Cretu's ENIGMA. I have to confess that each release surprises me in a way that only his geniality could do. "Voyageur" is everything a fan would expect from a long journey that started over a decade ago. I see "The Screen Behind the Mirror" and "Turn Around" as traces of the metamorphoses process ENIGMA was going through and it was obvious that it would arrive where it is now. Is that why the cover art of "Voyageur" is filled with moth representations? ENIGMA evoluted, but the old elements are still there after all. This is definately one of ENIGMA's 5 best albums. (could you pick one to be the worst?) Once again I was touched by the beautiful sound, perfect arrangements, powerfull drumbeats, sexy rythims, even distorced voices which I have always been sceptic about are unquestionably used with great mastery in this work. I love the gregorian and ethnic chants but there is no space for them here. "Look of Today", "Incognito", "From East to West", "Boum-Boum", "Following the Sun" are my favorite. Very modern, far from cheap New Age sound, and completely ENIGMA. Thanks Cretu. I can't wait for the next one!!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sorry, but don't buy the good reviews, July 1, 2004

By 

James M. Pitzner "jpitzner" (Maple Grove, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voyageur (Audio CD)

I am an insatiable Enigma fan. This is my favorite group of all time. I bought MXC before it ever hit it big, and I marked on my calendar with excitement for the every three years Enigma puts out a record. I own every album, every remix and every DVD. This album is good, but it is missing all the brilliant layering of the earlier albums. "The Screen Behind the Mirror" keeps getting degraded on these reviews but it is a far better album than Voyageur. At least the signature Enigma sound is intact on that album. Cretu has become FAR too in love with his voice on this album and it actually ruins some otherwise good songs. Also, the lyrics are unbelievably cheesy at times. The album will grow on you, but it is still an overall disappointment.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO BACK TO YOUR OLD SOUND ENIGMA! You can still "explore" the boundaries of music with your old sound intact.