Enigma
The Cross of Changes

Those who spent their childhood in the nineties will surely have a volume of Top of the Spot at home, purchased by a father eager to try out the brand-new hi-fi system. We are talking about collections of tracks used in commercials of the time, created to find the songs heard between an episode of Beautiful and one of Luna Park. On the first CD of the series, there's a track that many remember, "Return to Innocence" by Enigma, a mix of hip-hop rhythms and new age sounds alongside a suggestive lyric that invites us to listen to our hearts to be more true and authentic. What is the point of this premise? Just to reiterate that the records we listen to are linked to our experiences, and the judgment of a work of art is often conditioned by the emotions we experience in our existence.

Putting aside the nostalgia of the past, we can add that the talent of certain artists equals that attributed by our feelings, and this holds true for the Enigma project by the good Michael Cretu. Cretu is not an impromptu musician but has a career as a producer behind him, crowned by the success of "(I’ll Never Be) Maria Magdalena", a song sung by his ex-wife Sandra and remembered as an eighties hit. At the end of the decade, he left synth-pop to dive into electronic experimentation which, at that time, was opening up new and exciting musical horizons. After the excellent MCMXC a.D., driven by singles "Sadeness (Part I)" and "Mea Culpa (Part II)" (influenced by religious themes and Gregorian chants), Cretu releases The Cross of Changes, the most famous album published under the name Enigma and probably the best. Talking about The Cross of Changes is not easy, especially for its ability to touch the strings of the soul and intertwine with memories and fragments of images; however, an attempt is necessary because we are talking about a valuable work, important both from a historical and musical point of view.

In this work, Cretu abandons the religious atmospheres of MCMXC a.D. and makes extensive use of ethnic sounds with a worldbeat flavor. From Mongolian chants to those of the Amis, passing through U2, Peter Gabriel, and Black Sabbath (yes, them), Cretu's sampler seems driven by a feverish thrill and works tirelessly, layering voices, sounds, hints, and memories. On the journey of The Cross of Changes we are often accompanied by Sandra, who does not just introduce us in "Second Chapter" (how many albums start with someone whispering, "We came out from the deep/To help and understand but not to kill"?) or take us by the hand in the touching "The Dream of the Dolphin", but actively contributes to the most successful tracks on the album. It is impossible not to mention "The Eyes of Truth", an epic track accompanied by an impactful video shot in Nepal (in which Sandra states: "Je me regarde/Je me sens/Je vois des enfants/Je suis enfant!"). The return to lost innocence is reiterated in "Return to Innocence", where he even plunders the Led Zeppelin, particularly the drums from "When the Levee Breaks" (five years before the Massive Attack: is it a coincidence?), while "Age of Loneliness" masterfully fuses hip-hop and global atmospheres, hinting at a world lost between madness and urban alienation. However, the best piece is "I Love You, I'll Kill You", eight minutes where trip-hop and some vocal samples are glimpsed that would fit well in a dubstep production (also noteworthy is the text, centered on the contrast between love and hate that has always shaken the human soul). At the end of the journey, we feel different, pleasantly disturbed, and the title track continues to warn us: "If you understand or if you don’t/If you believe or if you doubt/There’s a universal justice/And the eyes of truth/Are always watching you". Sure, the sounds of Enigma seem a bit dated, especially considering the evolution that electronic music was experiencing in those years; additionally, Cretu indulges in some excesses, like the guitar riffs in "Out from the Deep" and "I Love You, I'll Kill You", which we forgive him for anyway.

Apart from the criticisms, the visionary power of The Cross of Changes is striking, a work that anticipates (even just conceptually) the offerings of Thievery Corporation, Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawhney, and Asian Dub Foundation. Not forgetting the downtempo of Kruder & Dorfmeister and Peace Orchestra, the Bristol Sound, and dubstep, which owe much to the German producer's experimentation. And finally, a nostalgic note: with "Return to Innocence" many will see themselves as children, while listening to the current Top of the Spot on a typical Sunday to be spent with family. And they will thank Michael Cretu and the magic that only certain music seems to possess.

Rating: 4.5