Watermark

You may swear that you've never listened to an album by Enya and are not at all familiar with her music. I would have said the same, but the first time I sat and listened to Watermark all the way through, I realized that there were quite a few tunes on it with which I was already quite familiar. Many of Enya's songs are a popular choice as background music for movies, news reports, and even commercials. Two cases in point, I had already heard "Storms in Africa" in the movie My Life starring Michael Keaton, and "Orinoco Flow" (commonly known as "Sail Away") was used to plug the product Crystal Light for awhile in the late eighties and early nineties. Although I cannot recall where, I know I have heard the title track someplace as well.

Watermark is the second of the two albums Steve gave me back in our courtin' days; the other, Shepherd Moons, was the one that spoke to me most at the time. But it did not take me long to appreciate Watermark, which is considered Enya's "breakthrough" album after her first self-titled album released to mediocre reviews. Watermark put Enya on the charts, where she has consistently stayed.

OK, Tim and I promised each other that we would no longer use the word "haunting" to describe any of the Celtic/New Age stuff we like. This is tough, but Watermark is a good place to start - this is a much more cheerful and upbeat album, in my opinion, than Shepherd Moons. I tend to think of the latter as more introspective; an album that makes me focus more on my inner life in a meditative way. Watermark is my ultimate "massage music" - it makes me let go and relax.

The songs are fairly short, yet beautiful and memorable. The title track is a simple but lovely piano ballad that combines lush, New Age sounds with Celtic influences. The atmosphere it creates is both sporadic and ethereal with Enya's smooth vocals layered on top of the instruments. "Cursum Perficio" carries a darker, more Gothic sound. This piece relies more on layered vocals for its sound, resulting in a tone that is more like a symphonic choir. I found its mood to be heavier, almost frantic as it winds up. The next track on the album, "On Your Shore", puts me in mind of the old Irish laments - with a newer sound, of course. It's long chords from the keyboard under the singer's melancholy vocals recall to me some of the simpler but more meaningful hymns I used to hear at Mass in the church of my childhood. A clarinet solo during the bridge emphasizes the sadness of the piece.

The mood of the album lightens considerably over the next four songs. "Storms In Africa's" soft but energetic percussion and spirited vocals make it impossible for me to feel dull and melancholy - I find it one of the more inspiring pieces on the album, one that never fails to make my mind feel more energized, like I could go on forever in whatever activity I'm in engaging in at the time. "Exile", another lament, owes it dark sound to the uilleann pipes, which play a mournful solo in the bridge. Its sound, which I can only describe as "alone," rather than "lonely," makes it the most introspective song on the album. Followed by the piano solo, "Miss Clare Remembers," which relies heavily on the use of the seventh chords in the scales (an unusual technique, I'm told by a more musical friend), the softness of the two pieces creates an effective mis en scene for "Orinoco Flow," probably the best-known song from this album. The song deserves its popularity; it's powerful but controlled energy owing to the pizzicato strings and synthesizers combining with multi-layered vocal effects and a percussion in the chorus.

The pace is slowed again by another ballad, "Evening Falls." Solemnized with an organ solo in the bridge and with Enya's low vocals throughout, the song borders on a fey lament. Followed by another and slightly more sprightly instrumental, "River" seems to me to be a warmer, slowed-down spin-off of "Storms in Africa." I find it a bit too lazy to put me in mind of running water; "The Longships" does a better job of that for me in spite of its solemnity - a majestic, uplifting song.

Enya's voice is not particularly strong, not in the way that Barbara Streisand's or perhaps Celine Dion's voices are strong. But she uses it's drifting and - sorry Tim, I have to say it, but this will be the last time, I swear - haunting quality to advantage in such simple, sweet tunes as "Na Laetha Geal M'oige." In the lovely Gaelic she treats so well, Enya uses her voice like an instrument to enhance the song, even as the pipes are used to enhance it.

The album winds up with a reprise of "Storms In Africa II," sung in English this time with a faster tempo and even more energetic percussion, and thunderstorm sound effects behind the music. A strong, memorable way to end a strong and memorable album.

Watermark, as I've said, was Enya's breakthrough album. It is also a good album to introduce newbes to Enya's music, as it utilizes all of her best powers. Plus, it's a great place for longtime fans to return to, as well - at least it is for this longtime fan!

January 2001