Mesmerizing, bewitching and endless - these are the epithets most often used by music critics and fans when describing Enigma's music. For almost 15 years of its existence, this team has released 7 full-length albums and several of their special re-releases.
The history of the Enigma group
Enigma is not even really a band in the conventional sense. It's more of a musical project. It was launched by Michael Cretu and his wife Sandra Cretu in 1990 in Germany. Michael is the composer of all tracks and the producer of the team, and Sandra often took part in the recordings, performing vocals. They also worked together on a project called Sandra.
Enigma's style is described as "musical pieces that have little in common with conventional music and conventional wisdom" and "a relatively new collage of sounds, rhythm and feelings."
Being a very extraordinary composer, Cretu skillfully combines world musical directions and merges together all the tracks of the album into a single work, forcing each listener to perceive music in his own way.
MCMXC a. D
The first album was released on December 3, 1990. In just a couple of months, he became a world hit, reached number 1 in 41 countries and collected 57 platinum awards, including triple platinum in the United States, where he remained in the Top 200 albums for 5 years.
The album was conceived as one continuous composition, so similar motives constantly appear in it - Gregorian chants and Sandra's vocals. Moreover, the album starts and ends with the same melody.
MCMXC a. D. released on digital compact cassettes and mini-discs.
On November 11, 1991, MCMXC a. D. was released. "Limited Edition", which differs from the original album by four additional tracks, each of which is one of the remixes for all released singles.
The Cross Of Changes
This album was first released at the end of 1993 and was markedly different from the first. By the time of its official release, 1.4 million preliminary applications had been submitted for it. Due to the changed style of the album, Enigma lost some of its fans, but also gained many new ones thanks to the success of its first single, Return to Innocence.
The album has won 21 platinum and 24 gold awards worldwide, and peaked at number one in the UK and number two in Europe and the United States.
In 1994, a special reissue of the album was released, called The Cross of Changes "Special Edition". It contained 3 additional tracks, each of which is a remix of a previously released single.
Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi
This first Enigma CD was released on November 25, 1996 and was dedicated to Christmas. Critics have called him the musical "parent" of the previous two albums. This was the first album in which Michael Cret was able to fully demonstrate his vocal abilities.
The very title of the album has nothing to do with the historical meaning of the phrase, but simply is a symbol of life.
The Screen Behind the Mirror
The album was released on February 17, 2000 and claims to be the successor to the original Enigma trilogy. It is based on the theme song from the oratorio "Carmina Burana" and uses traditional Japanese instruments, church bells and organ in the recording.
Love Sensuality Devotion - The Greatest Hits
In fact, this album is a compilation of the best compositions of Enigma. It was released on October 8, 2001. The disc contains 18 original tracks from all four albums and the single "Turn Around". It was released in tandem with Love Sensuality Devotion - The Remix Collection. The release of these albums, according to Cretu, "marked the end of the first phase of Enigma."
Voyageur
The release of this album took place on September 8, 2003 - six months later than the promised date. It features vocalist Ruth-Ann Boyle, who previously contributed to the studio work on The Screen Behind The Mirror. In addition, Andrew Donalds, the protégé of Cretu, sang on this album.
A Posteriori
The release of this album took place only on September 22, 2006. It contained 12 tracks. It is especially unique due to the fact that its recording took place at the mobile mini-studio "The Alchemist". The album was released on CD and DVD. A total of 0.5 million copies were sold.
Seven Lives Many Faces
The album was released on September 19, 2008. According to some sources, Cretu wrote 60 songs for Seven Lives Many Faces. Of these, the final 12 tracks were selected and included in the final version of the recording. The album also has a "zest" in the form of the vocals of Michael Cretu's sons - Nikita and Sebastian.
