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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Return Of Mrs. Enigma a.k.a. Sandra Lauer Cretu,
By
This review is from: Wheel of Time (Audio CD)
On Sandra's 7th studio album in about seven years the passing of time has shown that Mrs. Cretu (a.k.a Sandra from Enigma) has a more mature and introspective sound. However, there are slightly striking similarities to her 1992 underrated and unrecognized 1992 import c.d. effort entitled Close To Seven in both lyrical and musical content.Both also share that moody yet richly atmospheric sound. Make no mistake though, Wheel of Time's sound is very much in tune with the new millennium. Long gone are the pop dance tunes of the 80's which catapulted her to female pop icon status in Europe and other foreign countries abroad (but not in the U.S. as a solo artist)...The Wheel of Time begins with a solid frenetic techno-like track titled Forgive Me. The lyrics may be double edged in that she pleads for forgiveness from either a lover or her public whom she left about seven years ago to raise a family. There are several cover tunes also re-made in the Sandra/Engima trademark sound with new life breathed into them (not that the originals were bad, just outdated ). Mike and the Mechanics' track Silent Running sounds as though the song was specifically written for Sandra along with Depeche Mode's redesigned track Free Love from their 2001 c.d. Exciter. The ballad Forever does not have anything really striking or revealing to it;it's just a catchy pop ballad with a memorable melody. Motivation, the third track, is rich with ethereal synthesized hooks and an acoustic guitar for a lush feel to a mid-tempo rhythm ! For a surprise,Sandra's usually thin yet sensual vocals are given a thoroughly flexing workout on the ballad I Close My Eyes. Yet, the track is minimal in instrumentation and forgettable. The title track is set to a haunting slow melody or rhythm with Sandra again excusing herself from either a lover or her fans with lyrics about personal changes in her life.The title track fades and closes the album with Sandra repeating lyrics over and over set to a vocoder synthesized style for good effect! All the tracks are cohesive or coherent (take your pick) without a single throw-away tune. Sandra's hubby/producer Michael Cretu also deserves high praise with co-producer Jens Gad for creating a very memorable Sandra album. Oh, and let's not forget Sandra ... This is one of her best albums to date after the demise and flop of her 1995 Fading Shades project ! The Wheel of Time was definitely worth the long wait for both old fans and possibly new prospective ones (yes, especially in the U.S.) !
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Wheel of 'Success',
By
This review is from: Wheel of Time (Audio CD)
Sandra Cretu is probably mostly known in the United States as 'the voice of Enigma' or Mrs. Cretu, the wife of the brilliant Romanian-German producer Michael Cretu (the inventor of Enigma, known for "Sadeness", "Mea Culpa", "Return to Innocence", "T.N.T. for the Brain", etc.) However, before lending her seductive voice to her husband's enigmatic project, Mrs. Cretu thrived on the success of her solo career, which includes some of the best of 1980's retro-dance hits; "Maria Magdalena", "In the Heat of the Night", "Secret Land" and "Everlasting Love" were all great hits that catapulted Sandra into the Madonna-esque universe of German dance music. Nevertheless, her '80's music, though excellent in its own right, leaves no significant imprint on this blockbuster of an album. "The Wheel of Time" (2002) is a production love child of husband Michael Cretu and fellow Enigma pal, Jens Gad. Although reminiscent of some of Enigma's sounds, the album is mostly an experimentation in contemporary European dance culture. By any means NOT a euro-pop album, or a trance/techno venture, "The Wheel of Time" is a darker breed of dance that stands virtually independent of any dance-type category you might be tempted to put it in. Simply speaking, it is its own category. And with the assistance of her genius spouse, this is - by no doubt - a real Cretu gem....1) forgive me (9/10) great opener; sets a great tone for the rest of the album. 2) footprints (9/10) sounds a lot like Enigma, very strong production. 3) motivation (10/10) this one will warm up your soul; very inspirational, uplifting lyrics (and sound) 4) i close my eyes (10/10) great ballad; it almost seems to take you take you somewhere....and it is a very pleasant place... 5) perfect touch (10/10) one of my favorites, i love her voice, the production and the tribal chants in the background; this should have been a single. 6) silent running (9/10) a very nice rendition of a well known cover. 7) such a shame (10/10) another favorite; this one will make you want to dance. 8) now! (9/10) another uplifting song, this one is a duet with her hubby. 9) free love (10/10) a cover of the Depeche Mode (2001) song of the same name; dare I say better than the original?? : ) 10) forever (7/10) the weakest track, yet still a gem, (another ballad) 11) the wheel of time (10/10) I love this one, kind of dark, but a very strong closing for the album.....you will love it (also reminiscent of Enigma)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From Patrick, Belgium,
By A Customer
This review is from: Wheel of Time (Audio CD)
As a 15 year old, I loved Sandra's big hits such as Maria Magdalena, but I would never have thought Sandra would stand the test of time so well: after almost 20 years now, listening to her excellent new album gives me even more pleasure than all of her previous albums. In Belgium, the Cd can hardly be found and I really don't understand why Sandra gives it so little promotion. My favourites are "Forgive Me Now" and "Motivation", but this is one of those rare albums of which I never have to skip a song. I hope another Sandra Cd will follow.......
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