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A master confectioner creating layer-cakes of sound, Enya has rarely deviated from the recipe she perfected some two decades ago. 2008’s And Winter Came… is built upon her time-tested combination of shimmering stacked vocals, well-sculpted melodies and genteel Victorian ambiance. Enya’s stately voice and gleaming keyboard colors bring a chilly luster to “Dreams Are More Precious,” “Last Time by Moonlight,” “Stars and Midnight Blue,” and similar pop arias. The Christmas-themed tunes range from originals like the Victor Herbert-esque “One Toy Soldier” and the austere “Journey of the Angels” to a well-burnished treatment of “Silent Night” sung in Irish. The bouncy, Beatles-flavored “My! My! Time Flies” adds some needed vigor and snap but if the album has a failing, it’s the lack of a strong upbeat track along the lines of “Orinoco Flow” or “Caribbean Blue.” Still there’s an undeniable charm to whatever Enya touches, regardless of whether the music reaches the exalted heights of her very best work.

© Apple Music
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