What I'm Listening to Today: 1/15/04

7:30 A.M. - "Love, Sensuality, Devotion" - Enigma - This is a greatest hits album. Just when you think you've heard most of a group's work you pop in a greatest hits album only to find you haven't. I LOVE refreshing material! First song on the track is not recognizable to me as Enigma's usual type of work. The second track, "Gravity of Love" is astounding; they use the operatic "O Fortuna" from "Carmina Burana" in the background, and this heightens the experience I get from this song. I'm on the fourth track now, "T.N.T.," and now I know I have so much to hear yet from Enigma that I've never heard before. I know this because so far the first 3 tracks on their greatest hits albums are songs I've never heard before! This is exciting for me, to know that my future holds new discoveries by this amazing group. I may have said in the past that while I like Enigma I'm not a big fan, well, perhaps I wasn't in the right mood. Listening to this CD today is a good example of fan-making material. Track 5 is also using "O Fortuna" to give body to the background. For those of you who are curious about this classic piece, you've probably heard it in abudance through Hollywood. There are quite a few films which use this piece. Check out a sample of it online. I will post the lyrics and translation for those of you who are curious. Sorry for the sidetrack. "Return to the Innocence" is probably the one song that everyone has heard, whether or not they are aware of name of the artists performing it.

1:30 P.M. - "Sea l hu manbe in g" - "Seal" - Since "Kiss From a Rose," I've been wanting to hear more Seal. He really put a lot of feeling into "Rose," so I wanted to see if he still has that special "thing." His voice is soft and warm, almost like a caress against the ears. "When a Man Is Wrong" is probably my favorite song on this CD, but this is going off a first listen. The combination of his angelic voice on top of the music is grade A pure. On the whole, this really is not my type of music, but Seal does put out a few songs I like, just not enough my type of music to want to buy the CD.

3:10 P.M. - "7" - Enrique Iglesias - I've been hesitant to listen to this CD because I tend to want to stereotype Enrique as a "boy band" type artist. I've been afraid he'd be too much like N-Sync, Brittney Spears, 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys, etc. I really like his father's, Julio's, sexy voice but so far Enrique is definitely little-girl pop. But, since I'm only on song number 1 I'm going to give him another chance. Well, OK. Song number 3, "Say It," isn't bad. It's just... pretty. It doesn't seduce me or anything, though. I have to get through this CD. I'm on song 5 and totally detached and distracted from this album. I'm not in it at all. I'm sure for those that like this style of music it's fine but I'm out of the game. Sittin' on the bench, sorry! Habit, however, is forcing me to listen to it until it's over. Uh oh. Foot has now been placed in mouth! Breaking News: Song 6, "Break Me Shake Me," is so eighties-like that I have to like it. I don't know why but the instrumentation, chords, and beat sounds like something from the decade of peace! I do like this song, but only because it reminds me of the eighties. I won't go crazy about it until everyone else starts redoing the 80's. Hey, song 8, "Be Yourself" is pretty 80-ish, too. Nice. I will admit that I do like this song and wouldn't mind listening to it again. Here is what I'm going to say about this album: I want to like it. Actually, a few of the songs caught me by surprise. I'm having a dilemma, though. Should I like it? I can't get rid of this boy-band image from my head. I feel he's too commercialized and marketed towards preppy little junior-high girls or something. I think I am leaning more towards the "I-won't-buy-it" side. It doesn't make the cut, but it comes close. I'm probably not being fair, but hey, life is not fair.