LSD: Love, Sensuality and Devotion (CD - 2001)

Personnel: Ruth-Ann, Olive (vocals).

Recording information: A.R.T. Studios, Ibiza, Spain.

Arranger: Michael Crétu.

LSD: Love, Sensuality and Devotion gathers over a decade's worth of Enigma's definitive tracks, including the song that started it all, "Sadeness, Pt. 1." "Return to Innocence," "Beyond the Invisible," and "Cross of Changes" are all featured as well, and though the collection ranges from the rock-tinged "I'll Love You...I'll Kill You" to atmospheric, electronic fare like "Shadows in Silence," since it's all essentially Michael Crétu's vision, it flows surprisingly well. Since Enigma's sound has varied fairly drastically over the years, LSD: Love, Sensuality and Devotion is the perfect starting point for anyone curious about Crétu's music, and the only Enigma album that casual fans might need. ~ Heather Phares

Among the many artists that helped inject a pan-global flavor into American pop music is Enigma (A.K.A. Michael Cretu), a German artist who brought the sound of chanting Gregorian monks to the charts with "Sadeness (Part I)," a breakout smash from Enigma's 1990 debut MCMXC a.d. The collection LOVESENSUALITYDEVOTION rounds out the rest of the '90s for Enigma with plenty of undulating rhythms and world music hybrids.

Dance beats are strung throughout this compilation and pop up on everything from the high-flying ambiance of "T.N.T. For The Brain" to the industrial clang of "Push the Limits" and the chugging "Modern Crusaders." One of Enigma's charms is the way the most unlikely elements find their way into the songs. A murmuring children's choir lightly breaks through the Asian-flavored "Cross Of Changes," the chant from a South American Indian gives the swirling "Return To Innocence" its distinctive character,and the whispered French and uttering of the title by Cretu's wife Sandra lends "Mea Culpa" a sensual edge. LOVESENSUALITYDEVOTION turns out to be a great drug for both the mind and the soul minimize