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Shadow of the Moon Blackmore's Night   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

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