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 45 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 34 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!


A Simply Inspirational Collection Of Songs   March 28, 2000
 26 out of 33 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!


Absolutely amazing....   November 7, 2000
 21 out of 24 found this review helpful

I'm not a new age fan by any means, but I am enthralled by the beauty of Enya's music. Sometimes it's sheer simplicity is breathtaking, the use of the Gaelic language is also sometimes spell-binding.

I haven't been overly impressed by her studio albums, and I'll explain why in a sec. This CD however draws all that is good about Enya and brings together all of her singles in the way you really need to hear them. OK, to explain the previous comment: I first heard Orinco Flow way back, (was it '91? - can't remember...) and fell in love at first hearing. Here was something totally different, then came Storms In Africa which was just as good. Right, I thought, better buy the album. Of course, the version of SIA was a slow more relaxed affair and a bit of a disappointment to that which I'd heard already. Same happened again with Carribean Blue and Book Of Days (possibly the best Enya track ever...). I made the mistake twice and then waited patiently hoping for the day the inevitable compilation would come out. I was overjoyed when I got my hands on "Paint The Stars...", everything I wanted was there, plus some more.

My one complaint with Enya is that she makes some incredible sounding tracks like Book Of Days and then wants to slow them down and loose the power of these songs. Can't someone make her see sense and keep making this type of track? The soundscapes are amazing. I do like some of the slower ones, really i do, I just prefer the more uptempo (and it's really not that much uptempo) ones.

I'm an 80's boy (Visage, Ultravox, Duran Duran, etc), now in my thirties, and currently into modern synthpop like De/Vision, Red Flag, Avant Garde (to name a few). As you can see, Enya doesn't fit the mould of music you might expect me to listen to. I do and it's beautiful. Enough said, if you are one of the few uninitiated then buy this CD now...