That said, Callahan wrote: "But really, who cares? In its essence, "Trees" is another Enya record, with all the myth and warmth that implies". In his review for "The Washington Post", Mike Joyce noted its similarity to "Watermark" and "Shepherd Moons", "brimming with the kind of lush orchestrations, celestial harmonies and mystical imagery" and "lyrical grace and spiritual power of its own, not to mention some pop smarts", a combination that makes the majority of similar albums "utterly dull". Joyce praises her vocals and Nicky Ryan's production to create a "cascading shower of harmonies". Jim Sullivan wrote a review for "The Boston Globe", in which he thought the album was not "quite as exotic or transcendent" as Enya's previous two albums, but she and the Ryans produce "serene ambience" and "new-age music with subtlety and smarts". He wrote "Anywhere Is" "has a frothy, trivial pop bounce", but wished for a greater amount of "movement and drama" in the tracks. "The Record" included a review from Steven Johnson, who noted the album did not break any new musical ground, "But why change what works?" He highlighted Enya's "ethereal" vocals and "Anywhere Is", a "spirited melody" that is the furthest away from her usual "tried-and-true" musical formula. Johnson concluded: "A super collection of music that, at its best, seems to touch the stars". David Browne reviewed the album for "Entertainment Weekly" and awarded it a "B" rating, calling Enya "even less the life of the pub" with her new release. "With its layered, breathing-lesson choral harmonies cushioned in sullen keyboards, the album is, except for a few perky moments, wistful to the point of stultification. A gorgeous formula, but perhaps even Enya could use a good stiff belt." "The Los Angeles Times" issued a three-star-out-of-four rating in a review by Don Heckman. He wrote that Enya remains in her "musical trance ... on an ethereal plateau of her own", which he recognises as a good thing for her fans. The "technical proficiency and the mood-sustaining qualities" of the music, that Heckman called "mysterious" and "rich" coupled with Enya's "angelic, folk soprano" and "nostalgic" piano, flow to make a seamless album that "almost demands that the album be heard in its entirety".