Cross of Changes

• 1993 Virgin / Charisma

This 3CD box with a slipcase and extended booklet features: 17 career-spanning Enigma hits, 12 highly sought after remixes, The Lost Ones: 11 never before released tracks created by Michael Cretu over the entire Enigma career!Reissue of Enigma's double platinum & top 10 debut from 1990 with a six track bonus CD shrinkwrapped on top of the CD album and featuring three mixes apiece of 'Sadeness - Part I' (Meditation Mix, Extended Trance Mix and Violent US Remix) and 'Mea Culpa -So much unnecessary fuss was made over Enigma's juxtaposition of the sexual and sacred. After all, Prince had been doing it for years, and his take on it was far more interesting--and a lot more daring. But Enigma's MCMXC A.D. did manage to work a lot of people into a lather, both on the dance floor and behind the pulpit. Their inclusion of chanting monks in "Sadeness," over wooshy ambient n! oises and a slower hip-hop-appropriated beat was a sensation. "Callas Went Away" promised more than it could deliver, although "Mea Culpa" stands as one of the few shining moments on the CD. The idea of mixing new age aural wallpaper with beats that you can do a slow grind to is actually rather intriguing. Spicing it up with controversial religious chants isn't a bad idea either. But there's got to be something personal to it. After the initial novelty wears off, there's nothing to MCMXC A.D. other than bland, cold, impersonal repetition. Now, that might be what most people are used to, but what's so sexy about it? --Steve GdulaSeven Lives Many Faces is Enigma's seventh album. This album expands the sound catalogue of previous releases and it is expected to lead to a new Omni-Cultural wave. The lead single "Seven Lives" is a powerful fusion of modern and classical elements. Enigma is an Electronic musical project founded by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and F! rank Peterson in 1990. Cretu is both the composer and the prod! ucer; hi s former wife Sandra often provided vocals on Enigma tracks. Jens Gad co-produced and played guitar on three of the Enigma albums.17 tracks.

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Haunting, evocative, mysterious, and magnificent, Enigma's Cross of Changes offers nine musical ex! plorations of sound and sensation that dazzle and amaze. The s! ongs unf old in rolling waves, each more complex and richly layered than the last, yet each fully capable of standing alone as a musically satisfying experience. The standout track on this disc is "Return to Innocence," which combines Native American chanting, Celtic harmonies, and a deceptively simple lyric to devastating effect. At once esoteric and elemental, Cross of Changes is a fine example of the best the genre has to offer. --L.A. Smith