Enigma
MCMXC a.D.

THE REVIEW

Enigma – “MCMXC a.D.” The first, the best.

The group led by Romanian Michael Cretu revealed themselves to the general public with a great hit from 1991, “Sadeness” which combined flutes, Gregorian chants, new age, and a hint of dance into a loop. This “MCMXC a.D.” is probably the best album by Enigma. Afterward, only a few successful tracks (“Return To Innocence”) and a repetitive formula.

When this album was released, Enigma established themselves as a great dance revelation, as they managed to bring unusual and truly original sounds to the clubs.
After “Sadeness”, another single was released, “Mea Culpa” which followed the same path as the launch single. It's an alluring, drowsy, engaging sound, at times you can even hear a bit of trip hop and “The Book of Secrets” by Loreena McKennit.
But the real problem with this album is that there's nothing else; if you don't like the singles, it's not worth buying this album, which is slightly boring and repetitive in the long run, with a spirit that doesn't fully convince.

Enigma continued to make records; in '94 with their second work “Cross of Changes” there was a clear conversion to pop, while with the subsequent albums (“Enigma 3: Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi” 1997, “The Screen Behind The Mirror” 2000, “Voyageur” 2003), the band was followed only by a loyal niche and never again achieved global success. Even though Enigma didn't add anything to the history of music, they were still a good chapter, a good transitional group that turned dance floors into sanctuaries for a short time. If you like the genre, don't miss the first and best album of the band.