The Wheel of Time

by

Sandra

Edit

On Sandra's 7th studio album in about seven years the passing of time has shown that Mrs. Cretu (a.k.a Sandra from Enigma) has a more mature and introspective sound. However, there are slightly striking similarities to her 1992 underrated and unrecognized 1992 import c.d. effort entitled Close To Seven in both lyrical and musical content.Both also share that moody yet richly atmospheric sound. Make no mistake though, Wheel of Time's sound is very much in tune with the new millennium. Long gone are the pop dance tunes of the 80's which catapulted her to female pop icon status in Europe and other foreign countries abroad (but not in the U.S. as a solo artist)...

The Wheel of Time begins with a solid frenetic techno-like track titled Forgive Me. The lyrics may be double edged in that she pleads for forgiveness from either a lover or her public whom she left about seven years ago to raise a family. There are several cover tunes also re-made in the Sandra/Engima trademark sound with new life breathed into them (not that the originals were bad, just outdated ). Mike and the Mechanics' track Silent Running sounds as though the song was specifically written for Sandra along with Depeche Mode's redesigned track Free Love from their 2001 c.d. Exciter. The ballad Forever does not have anything really striking or revealing to it;it's just a catchy pop ballad with a memorable melody. Motivation, the third track, is rich with ethereal synthesized hooks and an acoustic guitar for a lush feel to a mid-tempo rhythm ! For a surprise,Sandra's usually thin yet sensual vocals are given a thoroughly flexing workout on the ballad I Close My Eyes. Yet, the track is minimal in instrumentation and forgettable. The title track is set to a haunting slow melody or rhythm with Sandra again excusing herself from either a lover or her fans with lyrics about personal changes in her life.The title track fades and closes the album with Sandra repeating lyrics over and over set to a vocoder synthesized style for good effect! All the tracks are cohesive or coherent (take your pick) without a single throw-away tune. Sandra's hubby/producer Michael Cretu also deserves high praise with co-producer Jens Gad for creating a very memorable Sandra album. Oh, and let's not forget Sandra ...

This is one of her best albums to date after the demise and flop of her 1995 Fading Shades project ! The Wheel of Time was definitely worth the long wait for both old fans and possibly new prospective ones (yes, especially in the U.S.) !