Description on Enigma Songs

This is a complete listing of every song that has ever appeared on an Enigma album. A short description is given for each.

ENIGMA 1 MCMXC a.D.

Enigma’s debut album seems to center around the personal conflict of sexuality vs. religion, and heightens to an even greater, more extensive theme of personal beliefs. The music itself is filled with Gregorian chants that symbolize the religious aspects of this theme, and Sandra Cretu’s breathy French vocals hint at the erotic overtones of the theme. Throughout the album, similar instruments and voices are encountered, such as flowing synthesizer, similar dance rhythms, Gregorian monastic chant, breathy French lyrics, beautiful piano solos, shakuhaji flutes, and ethnic percussion. This album went platinum in 25 countries and stayed on the charts for over five years after its original release of December 10, 1990.

This groundbreaking debut album from Enigma caused an international sensation and sold more than 15 million copies. This album stayed on the Billboard album chart for over 5 years. – Higher Octave Music catalog #61482

An eyes-closed journey on the wings of music. The atmospherics vary in mood, from Gregorian chant to flowing synthesizer to sparkling percussion. This album defined a genre. – Higher Octave Music vol. 14

1. The Voice of Enigma

This soft opening track begins with an echoed horn, which will become one of the trademark instruments. Another trademark Enigma instrument present in this track is the “falling-star” effect. This is not a full song, but rather an opening to the album, in which Louisa Stanley’s soft voice instructs the listener to relax and prepare for a journey into a different world.

2. Principles of Lust

This three-part track centers around the album’s theme of sex vs. religion and general personal beliefs. Throughout the piece are drumbeats with a defined groove, sexy whispers, and Gregorian chants.

a. Sadeness

The title of this song is actually a wordplay based on the two words “Sade” and “sadness,” the “Sade” part coming from the name of the Marquis de Sade. Sade was a 17th-century French poet who believed that sex should involve some sort of pain in order for it to be pleasurable. Rumor has it that he was somewhat religious, so the middle portion of this song is asking Sade what he stands for–if he was so religious, then why did he practice acts of violence on others? Sadeness is, on a greater scale, about personal beliefs and “practicing what you preach.”

What captures most peoples’ attention on this song is the mix of traditional Gregorian chant with modern dance rhythms. This song also features a long, passionate solo on a shakuhaji flute, windchimes, bells, Sandra Cretu’s breathy French whispers, and a dark middle portion with a male voice and an electric bass guitar. After the dark middle portion, the flute plays a similar theme, and then everything seems to come together–Sandra whispers over the beat as the bells are playing, and she is echoed by Gregorian chants, which are in turn echoed by the flute. The song ends abrubtly and fades into strange, jazzy percussion.

b. Find Love

This track begins with the jazz percussion, along with haunting ambient themes and an odd sound effect that can only be described as sounding like the whinny of a horse. Drippy, aquatic sounds enter, along with a piano that plays a repeated melody, a bassline, and some ethnic drums. The main beat kicks in along with some very jazzy-sounding trumpets, and then Sandra speaks about the “principles of lust.” She describes how to best experience lust firsthand.

The middle segment of Find Love features what might be the most haunting chant ever used by Enigma. It sounds like a cross between a boy-soprano solo and a Gregorian chant. Sandra repeats the chorus again, the trumpets re-enter, and the song fades out with dripping sounds, falling-stars, and aquatic bubbling.

c. Sadeness (Reprise)

Gregorian chants being played in reverse lead into the reintroduction of the Sadeness beat. A piano gently plays a theme very similar to the original shakuhaji flute solo, and then the real flute kicks in playing the actual solo. The song fades with Sandra’s vocals, echoed by the flute and Gregorian chants.

3. Callas Went Away

This melancholic piece is a tribute to Maria Callas, the famous opera singer. Known for her fiery temper, Callas had a beautiful voice, and samples of her singing can be heard on this song. This song features lots of wonderful ambience such as an echoed child’s cry, two men speaking in French in the background, chirping birds and crickets, a running stream, and a nice horses-on-cobblestone effect. Overall the song has a very natural, out-in-nature feel. Also prevalent here are warm, flowing strings, ethnic percussion, and Sandra’s whispers.

4. Mea Culpa

Latin for “I’m culpable” or “It’s my fault,” this powerful song seems to come from a woman’s point of view, lusting after the man she desires so much. Many people think that she is lusting after a religious figure, such as a priest or even the “Enigma monk.”

The song begins with rain and tolling church bells. Marching battle snare drums (which might represent the battle between lust and love, sex and religion, and personal beliefs vs. accepted beliefs) lead into a powerful drumbeat. Sandra whispers phrases in French overtop of the drums and swirling synth, and she is echoed in places by loud, heavy Gregorian chanting. There is a killer guitar solo that flows perfectly with the intense, driving beat, and the shakuhaji flute is featured in several places throughout the song. After the guitar solo, the song pauses for Sandra to speak, and then kicks back in full-force. The beat drops out for the snare drums to re-enter, and they fade into the distance with the rain and tolling bells.

5. The Voice & The Snake

This song is actually Seven Bowls by the 1960′s group Aphrodite’s Child. Cretu added some extra synthesizer to it and crossfaded it. It basically talks about the end of the world based on the Book of Revelation. The song is very short, has no beat, and is basically just a segue from Mea Culpa into Knocking on Forbidden Doors.

6. Knocking on Forbidden Doors

This track combines all elements from the album into one haunting, beautiful song. It starts off with an electronic synth sound that bounces around the stereofield, and then some minor-key ambience fades in. The wavering Enigma horn plays, sounding like whalesong or a sonar noise. The beat kicks in, the Enigma shakuhaji flute plays, and then the horn comes back in, echoed by a guitar. Gregorian chants float in, and the beat drops out for the middle part. Odd synth sounds play back and forth, including one that sounds like steam rising. The horns, flutes, and guitars kick in along with the beat, and the song fades.

There is a female vocalization–either Sandra or Louisa–but it isn’t clear what is being said. It sounds like “Mater.” This is a likely choice because the Gregorian chant used in the song is Salve Regina, Mater Misericors. The theme to this song is probably about experiencing lust despite religious affiliation.

7. Back to the Rivers of Belief

As with Principles of Lust, this song is in three parts. It also uses the same beat from Sadeness in two of the three parts.

a. Way to Eternity

The key element of this song is the five-note melody–it’s the same one from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which is Michael Cretu’s favorite movie. Gregorian chants (men and women singing together this time) and metronomic ticking fill this short piece as well. The Gregorian chants are basically directed to God, asking Him for eternal life.

b. Hallelujah

The Sadeness beat re-enters for this instrumental piece, which is filled with strange basslines, odd ambience, and clicking bell-like instruments. There is a strange chant that appears occasionally (Gregorian, but it sounds Arabic), and some voice samples from The Voice of Enigma are reprised here.

c. The Rivers of Belief

Everything swirls up into this passionate song. This is a great closer, as it really sums up the whole theme of finding inner peace and a balance between spiritual beliefs and personal beliefs. Michael Cretu actually sings this song. It also features a very beautiful solo by the shakuhaji flute and the falling-star effect. The song fades into the same ambient horns that opened the disc, and everything fades out into silence.

ENIGMA 2 The CROSS of Changes

Enigma’s second disc has two main themes, one of how man has affected the earth, and the other of how a higher power is always watching over us. The instrumentation is much more powerful on this album, and Cretu tries to use human voices as instruments. Mongolian samples prevail, but there are also Taiwanese aboriginal chants, Native American chants, and children’s cries.

Sold over 2 million copies in the U.S. and features the title track hit single. (sic) Using a wide range of exotic textures and instrumentation, Cross of Changes evolves the Enigma mystique. – Higher Octave Music catalog #61482

Based on the spiritual teachings of Rumi, who said the divine is foudn only in the individual heart. Middle Eastern motifs prevail. – Higher Octave Music vol. 14

1. Second Chapter

Continuing the Enigma tradition of having a brief opening track and then diving into the music, this piece is no exception. It has an oceanic feel to it, and would be a good background piece for a documentary on sea exploration. The Enigma horns are back, and Sandra speaks a few lines about the album’s theme.

2. The Eyes of Truth

“The Eyes of Truth” is Cretu’s term for a higher power. This is a stunning and powerful opening track that features a driving beat, Indian tabla drums, a pungi (a reedy-sounding instrument), the shakuhaji flute, a massive church choir, and haunting Mongolian voices and chants that are used as instruments. The bridge of the song has samples of astronauts in space, a U2 sample, and Sandra’s French whispers.

3. Return to Innocence

This song and Sadeness are Enigma’s two biggest hits ever.

Beginning this song is a Taiwanese aboriginal chant. It sounds like a Native American indian chant but it isn’t. After the chant runs through, a powerful drum beat kicks in, slow and defined. Angel sings low over the drums, and the song seems to soar when the chant comes in. There is some very nice swirling celestial ambience, sampled from Vangelis, that plays throughout the piece.

Overall this is an extremely uplifting and upbeat song about following what you believe in, and another theme is starting at the end of something and going back to the beginning, looking at every memorable moment in between.

4. I Love You … I’ll Kill You

Not as negative as it sounds, this song revolves around a theme of jealousy. A driving beat, tabla drums, and Sandra’s breathy vocals all add to the intensity of the song, and a racing guitar solo in the middle of the song heightens the musical experience. Cretu used a Led Zeppelin vocal sample in one version of the song, and then the later pressings of the disc (in Europe, at least) has Cretu himself singing something that sounds like “you’ll be fine.”

5. Silent Warrior

This song is about Michael Cretu’s position on the “murderous insanity of the colonists as they settled in America,” and how they mercilessly killed off many of the Native Americans.

The song features many natural sounds like crickets chirping, ravens croaking, and Native American chants (including one called The Ghost Dance, banned in all forms up since the 1800′s). Powerful drums and Gregorian chants set the pace for this intense song, which features Michael Cretu singing passionately from his perspective on this controversial issue.

6. The Dream of the Dolphin

An old Shamanistic saying tells of how dolphins envy man because they are the only mammals (and whales) confined to the sea. This is how scientists explain why dolphins attack other creatures of the sea but not man.

The song itself is basically a piano solo with some seashore ambience (waves crashing, birds calling) and Louisa Stanley speaking a few lines. Michael dedicated this song to his wife Sandra.

7. Age of Loneliness (Carly’s Song)

Carly’s Song was originally featured on the Sliver soundtrack, and this is a slightly-altered version of it. It has a different beat, an added shakuhaji flute solo, the addition of the pungi instrument, and less Gregorian voices. It features the same Mongolian female chant, and the same English vocals (spoken by Sandra).

8. Out from the Deep

This song is sort of the “black sheep” in the family of Enigma songs. It’s an upbeat rock song with an electric guitar solo and Michael Cretu singing very loudly (almost screaming). It is pretty much everyone’s least favorite Enigma song (next to The Voice & The Snake, which isn’t even Enigma in the first place). However, it does have a strong beat and some nice swirling chants.

9. The CROSS of Changes

This is a peaceful, ambient closing piece. It has some children’s laughter in the background, and Louisa Stanley speaks a few lines of English.

ENIGMA 3 Le Roi Est Mort, VIVE Le Roi!

French for “The King is Dead, Long Live the King!,” Enigma’s third album combines elements of the previous two to create a wonderful atmospheric soundscape. Enigma 3 is really about lessons in life. It’s a very emotional album with lots of personal themes, and really touches the soul and inner emotions.

The most recent Enigma album continues its artistic tradition of lush, moody soundscapes which cross all boundaries, demographics, and genres. – Higher Octave Music catalog #61482

The opening proclaims, “Things are changing, but nothing changes,” segues to a Gregorian chant, to a heartfelt soliloquy, to another echoing proclamation–”Everything is possible.” Ethereal. – Higher Octave Music vol. 14

1. Le Roi Est Mort, VIVE Le Roi!

This gentle, soothing, atmospheric opener is very ambient and calm. Peaceful morse-code beeps fade in, along with the ambient Enigma horns and samples of astronauts talking in space. Louisa Stanley speaks briefly, and everything fades up into a bang.

2. Morphing Thru Time

The “bang” from the previous track could be thought of as the “Big Bang” because this song is about the earth and how people have changed on it through time. A strange, technologically-altered voice speaks, and atmospheric themes crescendo up into soaring ambience and a low, boil beat. Gregorian chants begin over the beat, and then a guitar plays. Michael Cretu begins singing, his voice sounds like nothing ever heard before. The instrumentation changes key for a passionate Mongolian voice to sing, surrounded by the same swirling, celestial ambience from Return to Innocence. The voice fades into a massive church choir. The beat picks up and Michael sings again, echoed in some places by chants or Louisa Stanley’s voice.

3. Third of its Kind

This is a brief segue that basically states that this album is the “child” of its parents (how Cretu combined the first two albums to produce this one).

4. Beyond the Invisible

The first single from Enigma 3, this piece is truly a musical masterpiece. Ethnic percussion and a low, winding shanai flute begin the song. Morse-code beeps fade in along with windy sounds, both of which play throughout the song. Sandra enters by speaking two verses of English with a heavy European accent. Latvian women begin singing over the chords, and Michael Cretu begins singing over the chant. His voice soars in some places, and drops to a low whisper in others. A solemn Gregorian chant enters as all the voices fade out, and then the Latvian voices and a heavier beat re-enter. Michael Cretu sings again, and then again for a third and final time. The song fades with windy, wispy sounds and the Latvian chants.

It was suggested that this song was about self-analyzation. If a person finds they are not happy in life, they should analyze who they are, what they’ve become, and what they want, and then try to mend things. Everything is possible if a solid mind is behind it. This song could also be about escape, just from any negative situation.

5. Why! …

A strong drumbeat sets the pace of this song. Sad ambient themes enter, and Michael begins singing low over the chords. The thing most people complain about is the chorus of this song–Michael’s confused and angry scream “and I’m asking WHY! … ,” which turns many people off from this song. Fortunately, many people like his voice so it isn’t a problem for them. Gregorian chants are basically one of the only other elements to this song, and they fade in twice underneath his voice. Towards the end, swirling ambience fills the soundfield, adding to the emotion of the song.

The song is very downbeat and the lyrics suggest that two people were constantly battling with each other, and one of them was removed from the picture–divorce, separation, possibly death, or maybe just running away (a continuation of the theme from Beyond the Invisible).

6. Shadows in Silence

Echoed percussion and what sounds like dolphins calling begins this instrumental interlude. A piano plays a gentle, soft melody that is repeated throughout the piece. Voices enter, haunting and sad-sounding. Percussion enters next, and the full beat kicks in soon after. The song is basically just the myriad voices and dolphin sounds, piano melody, echoed percussion, and soft beat.

7. The Child in Us

Most people claim this as their favorite track from Enigma 3. A meandering flute, similar to the one in Beyond the Invisible, plays a few notes. The beat fades in, and then some uplifting ambient themes enter. The song is very joyous and upbeat. Sanskrit chants, the shakuhaji flute, and a Mongolian sample (from the same source as the one in Morphing Thru Time) stand out among the mix of sounds.

Michael Cretu begins singing lowly over the mix, and then his voice begins to soar but never reaches the intensity that it did in Why! … and Beyond the Invisible. The main melody plays a few times, echoed once by Cretu.

This piece is about finding the inner child, and many people think it is about Jesus, since the Gregorian chants refer directly to Jesus and His birth.

8. T.N.T. for the Brain

The major-key ambience from The Child in Us fades into minor-key themes. Odd bubbling noises and space sounds play, and then some tabla drums begin to form a beat. Synthesizers begin to play a melody, and then Sandra begins speaking, and she sounds very erotic. Everything swirls up into the main melody, played by an instrument that can be described as something like a synthesized plucked string. Sandra’s breathing can be heard everywhere. She sings some more, and then Michael begins singing. They duet back and forth, echoed by the shakuhaji flute, and the song begins to wind down.

The swirling celestial ambience from Morphing Thru Time plays along with an electric guitar, and then everything swirls up into even more of a beat. Michael sings, echoed in places by Sandra. The song fades.

Love is like t.n.t. for the brain because it can blow the mind.

9. Almost Full Moon

Another instrumental interlude (this song fills the same role as Shadows in Silence). The celestial sounds play here and sound very nicely with the soft ethnic drums and echoed percussion. A child’s cry echoes. The piano plays a soft, melancholic solo, and then the child’s cry is reprised.

The symbolism of this song is simple. The moon, in its third phase (this is the third album of Enigma) is a gibbous moon, which is an almost-full moon.

10. The Roundabout

A cyclic chant continues from Almost Full Moon into the beginning of this track. It’s funny how the chant is cyclic and the song is about life cycles–Cretu’s genius at work. A staccato electric guitar provides a bassline, falling-stars are being released everywhere, and ethnic drums enter along with some of Sandra’s breathing. The song is comprised of Michael Cretu singing, Louisa Stanley speaking a few lines, and a Sanskrit chant that sounds remarkably like Cretu himself.

The song is basically centered around the cycle of life and how things constantly change, yet stay the same.

11. Prism of Life

Bubbling synth sounds begin this song, and Louisa Stanley begins speaking. A piano plays a solo, and this piano can be heard throughout the song. A strong and slow beat begins. The song is filled with Zulu chants, Michael Cretu singing, Gregorian voices, and another Sanskrit chant similar to the one in The Roundabout.

12. Odyssey of the Mind

This closing piece is the intro played backwards with an added voice sample of Louisa Stanley speaking.

ENIGMA 4 The Screen Behind The Mirror

Enigma’s fourth installment really does a nice job of blending the previous three and still adding new and innovative ideas to the music. A major theme is a sampling of Carl Orff’s o Fortuna from the opera Carmina Burana. This song is well-recognized and very enigmatic, and is featured in several songs from this album.

Also noteworthy is that several new people worked on this album. Ruth Ann Boyle from the UK group Olive is a guest vocalist, as is Andru Donalds, a German reggae singer produced by Cretu. Sandra is back again, and Elisabeth Houghton (a photographer for Virgin Records) fills the role of Louisa Stanley. Louisa Stanley and David Fairstein, however, are not featured on this album. Radio-FX were done by Jurgen Thurnau.

No one reveals inner meaning better than Enigma, and in this latest creation everything is a symbol. In the innovative style that first launched them into high orbit, Classical, World, Gregorian chant, and velvety atmospherics are sublimely interwoven with church bells, Hip-Hop rhythms and native instrumentation. You get the sense that a mystic seeker is saying something true about the real world. – Higher Octave Music vol. 15

1. The Gate

This opener seems to follow a similar pattern of relating a space fact to the “number” of the album (as seen in the theme of Almost Full Moon)–here, Elisabeth Houghton recites facts about Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, and this is the fourth album of Enigma.

Swirling ambience, space sounds such as celestial, tinkling bells, and the Enigma horns sound here, and at the very end of the track, a sample from o Fortuna plays very loudly.

2. Push the Limits

This song pushes the limits musically by having multiple sounds all playing at once. It is truly an Enigma masterpiece and one of the most amazing tracks ever created by Michael Cretu.

Heavy drums begin the song, and a new synth sound (very similar to the one that played the main melody of T.N.T. for the Brain) plays a new theme. It’s very catchy and danceable. It plays through a few times, and each time a new percussion sound is added. The melody line drops out for the first chant. It’s buzzy-sounding and wavers like the Enigma horn from Knocking on Forbidden Doors. The second chant is an operatic female voice in the background that plays under the buzzy chant. Then a child’s cry enters, so three elements are all playing at once. Elisabeth Houghton begins speaking as the beat drops out. Ethnic drums from Beyond the Invisible remain, but quickly fade out for the tablas from I Love You … I’ll Kill You to enter.

Then, a new effect for Enigma enters. An electric guitar solo begins, but the sound has been morphed to sound like a man’s voice. It’s chilling. This effect plays for a while, and then the main drums and melody drop back in. Everything plays a few times, and then drops down into some old samples. Tablas from The Eyes of Truth, a voice sample and backwards snare drums from the Orthodox Mix of Mea Culpa part II, and drums from Beyond the Invisible are all playing together along with some new Enigma 4 drums. The main melody plays twice and echoes out into silence.

Michael Cretu has always been an advocate of standing up for personal beliefs, so this song probably represents his thoughts on that whole idea.

3. Gravity of Love

A repeated sample from o Fortuna plays along with some nice echoed percussion. Ruth Ann begins singing low over the chords. The main beat enters–the same beat from Return to Innocence with some added drums. Her voice begins to soar among the sweeping ambient themes, and then the o Fortuna sample plays again, joined by symphonic cymbals and powerful drum cascades. Elisabeth whispers “the path of excess leads to the tower of wisdom” twice. Ruth sings again, echoed by the chorus, which is in turn echoed by the wavering horns from Knocking on Forbidden Doors. She sings once more, and the song ends with the repeated sample of o Fortuna.

This song has so many hidden meanings–how love is so powerful, how love can bring someone back to earth when they feel like they’ve lost all hope, how every past relationship aids in making each new one better, and so forth.

4. Smell of Desire

One of the lyrics in Gravity of Love is “…and smell what you don’t see.” This song is probably a continuation of that theme. The song begins with the same swirling sound that opens The Gate, and morse-code beeps lead into some ethnic percussion, a strong bassline, and some nice ambient sounds. The full beat kicks in (which is some rich electronic percussion) and the main melody kicks in, played by the same flute as on Beyond the Invisible. Silky sounds weave through the mix, and some steam sounds from Knocking on Forbidden Doors can be heard, along with Sandra’s breathing.

Jens Gad’s guitar comes in. It’s played in a nouveau-flamenco style at first, very soft and mellow. It works up to a nice electric guitar solo that fortunately does not shatter the tranquil mood of the song. Sandra whispers a few lines from Mea Culpa, and then the flute comes back. Towards the end, many elements are playing at once, including some old samples like the horse-whinny from Find Love and the reverse-mode Gregorian chants from Sadeness (Reprise), and also some new samples, one of which sounds like a high-pitched female whimper.

This song is erotic in a subtle way, and one might picture roses, silk, and candles to go along with the music.

5. Modern Crusaders

One of the more intense songs on the album, this track is about the struggle for individuality in a conforming society. Andru Donalds is on vocals.

Ambient sounds, water droplets, and a guitar-like sound open the piece. Drums enter, and Andru begins singing. His voice crescendoes for the chorus and then drops back down. He sounds remarkably like Michael Cretu, and many people don’t believe it when they hear that it’s Andru singing and not Cretu. Two other major segments of this song include a screaming guitar solo by Gad, and a sample of the louder portion of the o Fortuna chorus. The song ends with an organ sample similar to the one that opens two mixes of The Rivers of Belief.

6. Traces (Light and Weight)

It’s funny how this song comes right after Modern Crusaders. Where Modern Crusaders is loud and powerful, this song is quiet and tranquil. It fills the same niche as Shadows in Silence and Almost Full Moon did on Enigma 3 – the quiet, instrumental interlude between tracks.

The music in this song revolves around opposites. The song’s title–well, the “light vs. weight” portion–is one of them, and it is reflected in the music by the use of fire and water. The sound of a match being struck, followed by the sound of a water droplet hitting a pool, plays throughout the song. The song is very ambient and “hazy”-sounding.

The song begins with church bells clanging in the distance. The main melody is played by an instrument sounding somewhat like a church bell. A child’s cry rings out, and the bridge of the song has lots of watery, bubbling sounds, and one sound effect that sounds like popping.

There is also a guitar that winds through the song, and some strange Latin voices and chants in the background can be heard throughout the piece.

7. The Screen Behind The Mirror

This song is also very confused-sounding and hazy. The beat is the same one from Sadeness, just with different drums. A weird guitar-voice sound plays the main melody that runs throughout the song, and Andru and Ruth Ann take turns singing various lyrics from Gravity of Love, and both of their voices are distorted. Clips of their voices are used as chants throughout the song.

Another version of this song was on the original album, called The Experience. It was the same version, but with slightly different female vocals, and at the end it dropped down into the drums from Endless Quest and had the o Fortuna samples play overtop of the drums.

8. Endless Quest

Two distorted o Fortuna samples and a falling-star drop down into strong, powerful drums, reminiscent of the beat on Prism of Life. Sad ambience filters in, and the trademark Enigma shakuhaji flute plays a solo. It’s captivating and haunting all at once. Ethnic drums enter, and the song pauses. A loud bang is heard, and the drums re-enter. A guitar-like instrument plays a loud solo, and then Gad’s electric guitar comes in and he plays a loud, screaming solo. Loud drums crescendo into the mix, and synthetic bangs play.

Endless Quest may be a continuation of the struggle to find individuality as explored in Modern Crusaders.

9. Camera Obscura

Another distorted-sounding piece, this features a fast, wild drumbeat. Samples of Andru’s vocals from Modern Crusaders are played backwards here, and it sounds once again just like Michael Cretu’s voice. Loud, forceful samples from o Fortuna come into the mix, and more synthetic bangs draw the short–but powerful–piece to a close.

The Camera Obscura was the first camera. Subjects would sit inside a darkened room, and their image would appear upside-down on a wall through, having come through a pinhole. The artist would then trace the image onto paper and create a portrait.

10. Between Mind & Heart

Once again, a mellow song comes after the loud, powerful one.

Deep bassy drums and ethnic percussion kick in, and then the full beat enters. A Santoor (an ethnic Indian instrument that sounds like a human voice) plays notes overtop of the beat. This song is very emotional and fills the role that The Child in Us did on Enigma 3. A Latin choir can be heard faintly in the background, and then Michael begins singing low. His voice has never sounded like this before; it’s enchanting. He is echoed by a sitar (twangy Indian instrument). Sandra sings, echoed by African chants. It’s amazing how he found all of these different chants, put them together, and made it sound just right.

The song is mostly the Santoor, Michael and Sandra singing, and the various chants over the smooth, mellow beat. The theme to the piece is finding the balance between your mind and your heart when it comes to love (another continuation of Gravity of Love).

The emotional piece fades with droplets of water, the African chants, the Santoor, and Sandra’s final whisper.

11. Silence Must Be Heard

People talk too much for what they have to say. That’s why Michael wrote this song.

Percussion kicks in, then the full beat comes in, strong and forceful. Ruth Ann sings, and then beat stops for Michael to sing. Ruth sings again once the beat enters, echoed by Michael in some places. Sandra’s whispers blend with the Enigma fanfare horns, and everything fades into silence.