Amazon.co.uk Review

Enya seventh studio album, And Winter Came can be enjoyed in two ways. With songs like “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, “Journey Of The Angels”, the children’s song “Toy Soldier” and a Gaelic version of “Silent Night”, (“Oiche Chiuin”) it is, at least half of the time, a celebration of Christmas, flush with joyful, traditional festive cheer (and those haunting, floating vocals). But other songs here are less overtly religious. The ambient title track, the ethereal “Last Time By Moonlight” and the chugging, rhythmic “Trains And Winter Rains”, although equally emotive, conjure up slightly different imagery--namely, landscapes of ice-covered forests and star-strewn nightscapes. Of course all the songs somehow together to create a coherent winter tapestry that’s broken only by the surprisingly poppy "My! My! Time Flies!”--an upbeat number that features, believe it or not, some adroit blues guitar. Perhaps on Enya’s next album we’ll see more of her pop side let loose; but for now this is as “adult contemporary” as it gets. --Danny McKenna