Blackmore's Night
Ear Music, 1790 Broadway, 7th Fl,
New York, NY 10019, (212) 664-83910
Shadow of the Moon
Late of heavy metal supergroup
Deep Purple, guitarist Richie Blackmore has found his latest
incarnation in the four-person group Blackmore's Night, featuring
Blackmore on guitars, mandolins, and percussion, Candice Night
on vocals, Pat Regan on keyboards, and the flute of guest artist
Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull fame) on one track.
Like Anderson's group, Blackmore's Night fuses the
rock traditions of the late `60s and early `70s with the English
and French Renaissance, but with less emphasis on electric instruments
than one would expect from a heavy metal expatriate. Instead,
the music is generally soft and ethereal, with the tonal scales
tipped more toward a New Age rather than a Renaissance feel,
giving this album a certain idiosyncratic charm.
Perhaps the most interesting track is "Play
Minstrel Play," featuring Ian Anderson's flute. This song
has a more authentic Renaissance feel than most of the other
offerings, but its authenticity is perfectly understandable when
one looks at the tune's inspiration, which appears to be taken
from a tourdion (a dance piece) written for lute and published
in France in 1530.
Blackmore's rock roots also show to good effect on
"Writing on the Wall" and "No Second Chance,"
featuring the kind of tasteful electric guitar work one would
expect from Deep Purple's former axeman. Yet while most of the
compositions are originals, the CD's worst track is undoubtedly
"Greensleeves." In spite of Night's gentle lead vocal
and overdubbed harmonies, their rendition sounds more like a
Boney M outtake than a lilting melancholy masterpiece.
But perhaps the most crucial question one can pose
toward any artist's work is simply: Is it good music? In this
case, the answer is a reserved yes, justified solely by Night's
charming (but far from powerful) vocals, and Blackmore's advanced
technical skills, especially conspicuous on the last track called
"Possums Last Dance." Overall, the CD is pleasant and
competent, but not particularly distinguished. Purists of either
rock or early music would do better to look for musical gratification
elsewhere, but anyone interested in an hour's worth of pleasant,
skillfully-played tunes will enjoy Shadow of the Moon.
UNDER A VIOLET MOON
Blackmore's Night
Platinum Entertainment
Led and produced by
ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, Under a Violet Moon
is a quantum leap forward from Blackmore's Night's uneven debut
CD, Shadows of the Moon. While both albums aim to create a fusion
between renaissance and contemporary musical traditions, in Under
a Violet Moon, Blackmore's Night creates a powerful musical statement
which captures a renaissance mood without losing the power and
drive of lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's heavy metal roots.
Perhaps the most interesting of the CD's 15 tracks
is "Past Time with Good Company," one of the best of
Henry VIII's songs, sung with sensitivity and insight by vocalist
and co-songwriter Candace Night. The original songs are supported
by strong harmonies and a uniformly high standard of musicianship.
While the CD has its flaws (the final track "Self Portrait" being
an anticlimax), it never fails to entertain or want for drive or inspiration.
Some of the lyrics tend to be poetically unsatisfying
and the lyric sheet difficult to read, but the performances are
always strong and down to earth. Flaws aside, Under a Violent
Moon is one of the most successful fusion CDs of the year, one
that captures a renaissance feel to provide a genuinely worthwhile
musical experience. It is certainly not a CD for either rock
or Early Music purists, but for the open-minded, Under a Violent
Moon is a CD to be recommended and enjoyed accordingly.
Ghost of a Rose
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
Beyond the Sunset
The Romantic Collection
SPV
(SPV 087-6990L)
Since forming in 1997, Blackmore's
Night, a rock-renaissance fusion group spearheaded by Deep Purple
alumnus Ritchie Blackmore and vocalist/lyricist Candace Night,
has given fans a succession of increasingly sophisticated recordings,
supported by strong concert performances. Although not their
strongest recording, Beyond the Sunset offers 14 well-crafted
songs and instrumentals, a bonus CD with three Christmas tunes,
and even a DVD of the group's best live performance at Schloss-Burg,
Germany.
Subtitled
The Romantic Collection, the CD strays from the group's
renaissance roots and guitar pyrotechnics to offer listeners
a retrospective of previously released and re-recorded versions
of love songs. Night's lyrical soprano is quite subtle yet remarkable
for its delicate and precise phrasing, shown to the best advantage
on Henry VIII's "Past Time with Good Company," which
is sadly not included on Beyond the Sunset.
While
tunes such as "Castles and Dreams" and "Wish You
Were Here" are a bit too ethereal for my liking, Night's
voice soars on "I Still Remember" and especially on
Joan Baez's 1975 masterwork "Diamonds and Rust," a
bittersweet tale of love lost and the emotional vulnerability
that leads us to crave love and ache at its loss. Arranged without
embellishments, the song relies on the power of Night's performance
and the tasteful but blistering electric guitar solos by the
indomitable Blackmore.
The
DVD features a mini-concert filmed flatly with intercut group
shot angles, medium close, and tight shots. Sadly, the Identakit
direction and cutting is unimaginative and shows no genuine cinematic
technique or imagination. Be that as it may, it is still a pleasure
to watch Blackmore perform with the cool confidence of a veteran
master guitarist. But not even the DVD's lackluster direction
can obscure Night's natural charm and her gift for addressing
a large audience as if she were speaking to an old friend.
Although
Beyond the Sunset is not without its flaws, it is nonetheless
a fine CD. While fusion fanatics may not be totally satisfied
with the CD's romantic orientation-and die-hard Deep Purple fans
may feel a flare of frustration-their music can and should be
enjoyed and appreciated in its own right.
Marc Alexander
Castles & Dreams
(2006)
As the sun sets on the village, the smell of roast boar lingers in the
crisp, twilight air. At the local inn, kegs of ale are broken open and
everyone’s
thoughts transform to merriment and whimsy. It is the simple pleasure of
enjoying one’s self with good food, song, and company. These are
the quintessential ingredients to a good time and this is the feeling conveyed
by Blackmore’s Night’s newest DVD, Castles & Dreams.
In some regards, it is amazing that such wonderful minstrel and
filk music comes from a guitar legend known more for “Smoke on the
Water” and
raising hell with Deep Purple and Rainbow, than for renditions of “Greensleeves.” But
that is what makes this two DVD set—and Blackmore’s Night’s
music in general—so special.
Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night’s music is a surprisingly rich
tapestry of sound and is reminiscent of the soundscapes created by Clannad,
Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, and even Jethro Tull, but their music
subscribes to a uniquely original excellence.
Castles & Dreams is filled with over four hours of live music, interviews,
and behind the scenes looks into the lives of Night, Blackmore, and the rest
of their Bardic ensemble (Lady Madeline, Lady Nancy, Squire Malcolm of Lumley,
Bard David of Larchmont, Tudor Rose, and Sir Robert of Normandy). This DVD
is also a multi-language offering, with English concert lyric subtitles and
all of Blackmore’s Night’s best songs. Surprisingly, there is
even a cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changin’” and
an acoustic version of a Randy Newman song, “I Think it’s Going
to Rain Today.” The best performance, however, is the haunting “Ghost
of a Rose.”
Castles & Dreams is a must-have for fans of RenFaire music, filk, or
folk music, or the hybrid combinations of these genres interspersed with
classic rock. It also makes a perfect milestone documentary for the near
decade that Blackmore’s Night has been together. (Oh, and before your
eyes get too blurry from all that mulled wine, see if you can find former
Whitesnake vocalist David Coverdale in the audience!)
—
Michael Lohr
Shelton CT 06484 USA
(800) 232-2224 voice
(800) 775-2729 fax
LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com