Following a promotional tour in support of her compilation album Paint the Sky with Stars (1997), Enya took a short break before she resumed writing and recording a new album in 1998 with her usual recording partners, producer and arranger Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan. A Day Without Rain is the fifth studio album by Irish singer, songwriter and musician Enya, released in 2000. You can usually find it at the bargain bin for about two dollars anyway, so if you're into new age, it's worth a shot.Vinyl LP pressing. I'd just recommend listening to the record a few steps at a time so it won't get too boring too quickly. It's predictable, but the moments that are good are REALLY good. However, I still recommend picking A Day Without Rain up. It's a shame, because previous works like "Shepherd Moons" and "Watermark" were able to retain similar stylistic qualities and still mix things up songwriting-wise now and again, creating a near-perfect balance. After a while, the songs start to run together and become tougher to distinguish it really would have been nice to have more interludes like the dark symphonic brooding of "Tempus Vernum" or another piano number like the reflective ballad "Fallen Embers." The constant symphonic synth backing starts to get old about halfway through the album and even Enya's vocals suffer from a lack of variety in notation. The real problem, as said before, is the predictability. The lyrics can get quite sappy from time to time and don't really draw you into the atmosphere any further than the singing or instrumental aspects, but they do fit the overall tone of the album. As with other Enya records, there's a huge amount of multi-tracking to create layers upon layers of different musical "voices" when the time calls for that vibe even in a more accessible record of hers like this one, you might still end up marveling at just how much is going on at once during the instrumental sections. The synthesizers, usually symphonic-sounding, dominate a good chunk of this record to give it a more vast sound while still retaining its emotional resonance. At the same time, however, there aren't as many piano-driven songs on here as there were on previous records. The chemistry between Enya's vocals and her instrumentation is very in-tune and offers plenty of intimate moments such as the opening title track, which adds vocal harmonies and backing synthesizers in a gorgeously subtle way while making the piano work the main focus. The production is crystal clear, allowing the listener to grasp every little nuance of the lush atmosphere conveyed. The biggest strength on offer here is its consistency the songwriting is predictable, but always gives you the mood you expect from a typical Enya album. What do I think? Well, it's not her best, but it's still quite good.
While her 80s/90s work was very well received and fared well commercially, A Day Without Rain is still her most successful record despite numerous negative reviews by critics. Having sold over 75 million copies of her records, she still remains the highest-selling new age musician of all time and many of her songs remain staples of the genre. The overall result is something extremely vast-sounding, and sounds like the equivalent of a large rainy Irish field in the springtime. Imagine a mix of new age, folk, and pop the folk is on the Celtic side (reflecting her Irish origin), and there can be hundreds of vocal overdubs at a time. However, Enya's captured a very certain vibe over the course of her career, one that I feel has never been replicated.
For instance, Devin Townsend's 2011 album Ghost (which happens to be his only album with a new age sound) could easily be used for a quiet night at the beach or there's Yanni, whose music is more classical in nature and can depict a sense of sorrow or the return of autumn. Even more impressive is how certain artists can create an atmosphere for certain seasons or even weather conditions. For many (myself included), music like this is best experienced outside as a background experience, sort of like a soundtrack to daily life depending on the person's mood. Whether you're a fan of new age or not, many of the artists involved should at least be given kudos for creating unique musical environments with their works. Review Summary: A beautiful album primarily marred by predictability.
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