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Ghost of a Rose Blackmore's Night Mintrel Hall Music (SPV085-7499A)   I had no former exposure to Blackmore's Night before hearing this, their fourth CD, and came away wondering if that put me at a disadvantage. One always hopes to evaluate music on its own terms, but it is hard to know how to take this odd pastiche of renaissance music, folk, and rock. This is the kind of music that can either seduce a listener with its sound or cause extreme irritation. On this particular recording, it may have the potential to do both at once. Certainly what holds Ghost of a Rose together is the musicianship of Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore, who is one of the best guitarists in the business. In fact, the expression he achieves frequently outshines the vocals of his partner Candice Night. Tracks, such as "Where Are We Going From Here?" and the CD's title song could, with less competent support, have been hopelessly banal. Here, however, they sound fresh and beguiling. Alas, this cannot be said for all the songs. Some, such as "Way to Mandalay," barely rise above generic pop; others, such as "Ivory Tower," are so dreadful that you wonder what the performers were thinking. Using elements like chant can work well in contemporary settings (think Loreena McKennitt), but in this case, it sounds like parody. Mistakes like these are a shame, for there is enough here that is fine-even wonderful, in the case of instrumental licks, such as "Nur Eine Minute"-to convince anyone that the group is onto something. This is not renaissance music nor is it exactly adult contemporary. If it seems to straddle the two a little uneasily, fans should still find enough to enjoy here. One only hopes that in the future, Blackmore's Night will develop in a way that does real justice to its talent and unique style. — Mary Dalton

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