Era - Era (1996) WMA320

"Ameno (Remix)" starts out with no music at all - just a male choir singing in latin. Before long though, female voices join in with the males to continue the album's flow of gradually climbing to a more powerful crescendo ... A solo female vocalist comes in next for a brief moment in the spotlight, and then a subtle beat begins to chime in, only to explode with an infectious Enigma-like dance beat. (Now if that doesn't draw you in, I don't know what will). . .

The initial sound of Era is something that's very akin to Pilgrimage and Lesiem: Gregorian-type choral singing with the occassional electric guitar and english male/female rock vocal, which is the factor that evidently draws in comparisons to Enigma.

I admit, Era does seem to be a bit over-hyped with boundless 5-star reviews, but as I sit here listening to this CD, pondering all of its possible faults, I come up empty-handed. Songs like "Mother" and "Enae Volare Mezzo" make this a very enjoyable album, and I highly recommend it to fans of classical-crossover, new age, and maybe even world music.

by Clarissa "MoonGoddess"

TRACKLIST:

01 - Era.wma
02 - Ameno (Remix).wma
03 - Cathar Rhythm.wma
04 - Mother.wma
05 - Avemano.wma
06 - Enae Volare Mezzo.wma
07 - Mirror.wma
08 - Ameno.wma
09 - Sempire D'amor.wma
10 - After Time.wma
11 - Impera.wma

WMA 320Kbps 44100Hz STEREO