Enigma

This is filed in my "I listen to this once every two years" cabinet, but when I do listen to Enigma, I like them a great deal. Kind of silly stuff if you think about it too hard, but if you don't it's trancily good and you can dance to it.

Information: Enigma Music
Suggested first purchase/best of: LSD--Love, Sensuality, and Devotion
Suggested first album: MCMXC A.D.

MCMXC A.D. (1990) -- From the opening, you realize this will be an experience, with the Voice of Enigma guiding you through this kind of music which sounded very new to radio listeners like me in 1990. "Sadeness" is as great as it's made out to be, as is "Mea Culpa" and the rest of this extremely cohesive dance-trance album. B

The Cross of Changes (1994) -- From the opening of this album, you realize that Enigma is continuing on with the story and expanding the plot (including Native American chants with the already-established Gregorian ones). "Return To Innocence" may even be a better single than the big hit "Sadeness" (not to mention its cool backwards video). Much of this album is also just prettier. B

Le Roi est Mort, Viva le Roi (1996) -- The opening is the same (again) and you don't mind because you treat it like a trilogy (they even released these first three as a collection called Trilogy), but some of this album just gets too silly. That is, we can only hope it's silly, that we're not supposed to take seriously the opening lines spoken by the Voice of Enigma: "Things are changing, but nothing changes, and still there are changes. Le roi est mort, viva le roi [The king is dead, long live the king]." Okay? Also, instead of trying to make solid albums like the first two, this one focuses on songs with lyrics--lyrics which suck, especially on the song "Why! ..." which lasts an impossible five minutes (though I could swear it was ten). Still, it has its moments. "The Child In Us" is really lovely, and it's kind of cool to hear music from Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds musical featured. C