Enigma: Elisabeth Houghton, Sandra Cretu, Ruth-Ann, Andru Donalds, Michael Cretu (vocals); Jens Gad (guitar).

Recorded at A.R.T. Studios, Ibiza, Spain.

Enigma's fourth album The Screen Behind the Mirror continues Michael Cretu's explorations into ambient new age, Gregorian chant, world music, and dance rhythms. Cretu's vocals play a more prominent role than on earlier Enigma albums, which, unfortunately, often detracts from the songs' other diverse elements -- which include church bells, Middle Eastern and European choirs, sensuous female vocals, and a wide array of ethnic percussion and instruments. The album's pieces are mixed together continuously and are united thematically by samples and reinterpretations of Orff's "O Fortuna" and other material from Carmina Burana, giving songs like "Endless Quest," "The Gate," and "Smell of Desire" a flowing, cohesive feel. Though it doesn't reveal significant growth or change in Enigma's work, The Screen Behind the Mirror will please fans of the group's other atmospheric works. ~ Heather Phares

There is a certain other-worldliness to the musical landscapes created by the artist also known as Michael Cretu. With Enigma, he is known for pioneering the synergy of traditional and world music with dance and electronica. Cretu's craftwork could be described as having taken ground broken by Tangerine Dream and adding mystic spirituality.

"The Gate" opens dramatically with a classical-sounding chorus, then sliding into a combination of spoken and hauntingly sung vocals. Disguised as a modern pop song, "Push the Limits" does just that with powerful orchestration. "Camera Obscura" fuses Renaissance-era chorale with a pulsing dance groove and vocals that are played backwards. The results are almost beyond description. Lyrically, THE SCREEN BEHIND THE MIRROR incorporates contradictory metaphors, shadows of Eastern philosophy, and overtones of enlightenment. In a realm of endlessly derivative modern music, Enigma successfully draws upon many cultures and eras for a sound that is above all else, unique.

CMJ (1/31/00, p.22) - "...couples the soul-stirring spirituality of new age music with the debauchery of disco breakbeats and samples....a rather erotic affair....an alluring backdrop for the pious meditation or the copulation rituals of your choosing."