Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya

This is definitely the best of Enya and if you are not acquainted with Enya, this is probably the CD where you would want to start. The music is versatile, from the staccato sounds of Orinoco Flow to the smooth and flowing sounds of China Roses. In places the music is simple, in others intricate, but always enjoyable and pleasant to hear.

This CD is 16 songs from various other works. Some have made it into films other have been a hit with radio air play, but all are well performed, emotional, heartfelt and enjoyable to hear. The CD also has songs which have a Celtic feel (a style where Enya gained her start in music with her family). So, sample to songs above and hear why Enya has become so popular in the last decade. Her music is well worth the investment.


Consider Love and Enjoy Beauty   December 10, 2003
 38 out of 39 found this review helpful

"Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya" deserves accolades. Before Enya, New Age music was only jazzy, beige elevator music. Kenny G wasn't cutting it for many of us.

This is a best-of CD, and a great place for anyone new to the genre. In mentioning that this is New Age mislabels her style, but it is by no means rock, folk or even easy listening.

You know "Orinoco Flow." That's her big hit, but my favorite it the smoothly pulsing "Anywhere Is."

To enjoy this Enya CD, you've got to like her distinct style. Unlike the interchangeability of pop radio musicians, she sings with a voice of her own. Only Enya can sing Enya songs. I wondered if I could listen to an entire Enya CD, afraid her consistency of style would grate on me. The opposite occured, and the risk became my joy.

Like Vangelis' "Chariots of Fire," pointed the listener to consider God, Enya asks us to consider love and to enjoy the natural beauty.

It is complex, with highly produced layers. The rhythms are balanced by melodies, undertones, and subtle notes. Adjust the levels on your stereo to extract all of the music. Turn up the volume, closed the shades, and soak in the rich, full impact of the grace of Enya.

I fully recommend "Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya." This is a CD worth buying and worth listening to.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com


A Simply Magically Lustful Collection of Inspirational Songs   August 31, 1999
 31 out of 32 found this review helpful

I'm telling you, this CD is just SO GOOD! Enya is a wonderful new-age musician in my books. The best thing about this album is the fact that it comprises all of her best tracks from her previous albums, plus new singles like "Only If..." and "Paint the Sky wth Stars" which show that she is no less a great instrumentalist and vocalist as she was before. There are many likeable points about this CD, especially because it really gives you the mood of experiencing a musical journey as you go through different atmospheres with each single. It's truly magical: From sailing on the Orinoco and the blue Caribbean, you enter a Book of Days where Anywhere Is anything you want it to be, and where your consideration of "Only If..." speaks of opportunities you'd never come across in common life. Then you take a trip in history to recap the melodious beauties of the Celts, who rest by the lullaby of beautiful China Roses and as they stare at Shepherd Moons. Next, your journey takes a tribal turn and follows the power of Ebudae, where you get to hear the scary yet charming tunes of the Storms in Africa. Your journey then calms down and rests in peaceful Watermark, where the swipes of music's magical brush Paint the Sky with Stars. And as you take your last steps through the polished walls of Marble Halls, you finally get to be On Your Way Home, where you bear in mind The Memory of Trees. At the end of your listening adventure, you recall the reign of Baodicea, the Celtic King, before your journey through this powerful album comes to a solemn end. Listen to this album, it's really WONDERFUL! Even if it's your first time on new-age music, this CD will definitely make you much more versatile to the various genres of this inspirational form of music. Hope you enjoy this marvellous journey! Bon voyage!


Why I really love this CD....   September 23, 2000
 23 out of 24 found this review helpful

For many years, I had no intersest in music. I am a teenager, but I was not satisfied or interested in the pop/rock music my friends and classmates listened to. Then, on the television I saw two commercials, both of which had the most wonderful music. One night, I was about to go to sleep, until I heard the beautiful music I had heard on television. I walked downstairs and saw my father listening to the music. "What music is this?" I asked. "It is by Enya," he said, "a singer from Ireland". One day, I was lieing down and sick, but I asked my father if I could listen to Enya. This is what I heard:

Orinoco Flow- "Sail away, sail away, sail away", oh, how she enchanted the phrase! Her voice powerfully said, "We can sail, we can sail." The rythm flies up and up, floats in the heavens as she says, "Turn it up, turn it up, up adieu." Then it swoops down as she declares, "Sail away, sail away, sail away"!

Caribbean Blue- Oh, how I loved her accent! The divine intonation of Latin words and the enchanting beat easilly makes it one of the most beautiful songs in the world. When I first heard this song, I wondered for weeks, "Who is the singer that sings so gracefully and creates such exquisite sounds?" How excited I was to find her! I am still enchanted.

Book of Days- One of my all time favorites of Enya, the song makes you picture oceans far away and dreams coming true. You fly far away on a long journey, across the magic sea, until you find your dream, your day. Like all of her songs, it was perfectly arranged with sounds of strings, piano, and clapping percussion.

Anywhere is- This song easily brought smiles to my face. You picture yourself wandering around the maze of time, from one direction to the other, you think you've found your way and the music stops, but then the music begins and you must continue on your way.

Only if....- Another delight that brings hopes and smiles. Enya's lovely voice tells you that if you really want to, you can fly and find your dreams, and find the way. When trouble comes, don't feel lost and failed. Have hope and dream, and you will fly away.

The Celts- I could tell that this song was song in Irish Gaelic. I was amazed by the way she expressed the strength and greatness of her Celtic ancestors with a powerful beat and brave Irish voce.

China Roses- Roma Ryan knows Enya's music and Enya knows Roma's words. Together the music and words express the wonders of life and paradise, along with questions. Her voice is usually layered, but her solo voice is breathtaking. The poetic lyrics and ethereal music remind us that in heaven, we do not need desires because we have the greatest paradise.

Shepherd Moons- I was pleased to learn that Enya plays the piano. The chords play at a light and steady rythm, going up and up. You picture water flowing in the night, with reflections of the moon and stars.

Ebudae- Based on waulking songs from the Hebrides, this song has a strong beat and very expresive in words and intonation. You dance as you walk around from island to island. Women work and beat, but the meaningless words express fun with work.

Storms In Africa- Another one of my greatest favorites. The storm rises, the storm comes, but you sing and dance as the rain falls. The animals and people run to shelter and the wind blows agaisnt the grass. Then, the thunder roars! It clashes and clashes, but don't worry. Just walk through the storms.

Watermark- Serious, classical, calm, and enchanting, this song pictures water flowing down streams and paintings with hidden images.

Paint The Sky With Stars- With gorgeous lyrics and charming harmony, Enya depicts a beautiful world full of bright flowers and stars everywhere. You wonder and you dream, and in the end, you watch the giver and dreamaker paint the sky with stars.

Marble Halls- How wonderfully Enya sang the words. I have everything, I've been given everything, but you love me. It does not matter what I have, but all that matters is that you love me, and I love you.

On My Way Home- Oooooooh! You walk around in the beautiful dark night, in silence, tension, and excitement. You are on your way to great paradise and you sing with joy at the wonders around you.

The Memory of Trees- Easily one of her best. You picture nothing, but then the trees start to appear. You gasp. You run throughout the forest as you listen to the trees whispering. "Beo...beo...." the Gaelic word for 'alive'. There is life all around you and after running through the forest, you find the great grand holy tree you desired.

Boadicea- Austere and without words, the music and voice express the feelings. Be bold and be brave. Fate will not end you forever.

Thank you, Enya! for the wonderful ethereal enchanting journey you brought me on. These are only my own interpretations and feelings, but all of you people on amazon, will definately find your own dreams in this quintessential, ethereal, and enchanting journey.


Spellbinding   October 25, 2001
 17 out of 17 found this review helpful

After years of listening to Enya's music on the radio and loving it, constantly tuning stations to see if it was being played, I decided to get of my backside and buy a CD. This Best-Of compilation seemed the most obvious CD to buy first and I can say it was worth every penny.

Some of the most disitinctive songs: The opening track is unique in every way, still captivating 12 years after it's release. Though Orinoco Flow is easily her most famous song, it's probably not her best, Carribean Blue first seems a bit slow coming right after the opener, but you soon realise it is the most well planned, most perfectly crafted track on the album. Anywhere Is and Only If were played a lot on the radio and both are very up-tempo and jumpy. China Roses is beautifully soft and gentle, Storms in Africa conjures up pictures of African plains and wildlife, just what it's meant to.

Inevitably a Best-Of album is never going to have the same flow has an album of new material, but Enya and producer Nicky Ryan always keep the sound and vibe connected throughout, the opeining tracks are the most up-beat, while the sound slowly winds down towards the end, but never bores. The end effect is something that captivates your ears and stays there after the music stops.

A must have from perhaps the most distinctive artist of modern times.