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OK, it's time for Blackmore's Night to release their yearly studio album, this time titled Ghost Of A Rose and continuing the same voyage through medieval times as it's precedessors. From the opening track "Way To Mandalay", it's easy to tell that nothing has changed too much in band's music which is an enchanting mixture of medieval melodies, Ritchie Blackmore's classy guitar playing and Candice Night's beautiful vocals. A recipe that sometimes tends to wander a little bit off the tracks, but most of the time delivers good and very enjoyable music. But - as they've now released five quite similar albums (four studio albums and a live one) within a rather short period of time, the enchantments once brought by then unique-sounding medieval rock have started to dissolve, and the listener becomes more keen to pick the really good songs from the masses and go throught the rest with thoughts like "okay, another one of those..." Well, having said that, I do admit that Ghost Of A Rose is a good album, and Blackmore and Night have managed to maintain the quality of their earlier works very well, and for any Blackmore's Night fan this is a safe buy. Ritchie is probably my all time favourite guitarist, a genius with his instrument, long since established himself that reputation, and thus has luckily no need to show off his skills in self-important guitar acrobatics like some guitar wizards around. And Candice Night, who in turn, is one of the best female singers around, can bring wonderful feelings to the songs. So, one can but nod in agreement for the bands' suitable name - the magic of Blackmore's Night is indeed an equal sum of both it's main performers. Some very atmospheric tracks are featured on Ghost Of A Rose - "Way To Mandalay", "Ghost Of A Rose", "Where Are We Going From Here", "Cartouche" etc. are all very good and right to the level of band's best songs. A cover of Joan Baez's "Diamonds And Rust" is an interesting choice, but for such a Judas Priest maniac as myself, not this nor the original version come even close to the Metal Gods' renditions... A couple of instrumental pieces here and there, and a bunch of tunes that in their simple-sounding medieval arrangements fail to catch my interest after a couple of listens, take "3 Black Crowes", that sounds like some annoying nursery rhyme, for example. I bought this CD last august from Tallinn, and while walking the days through the maze-like streets of the medieval city's amazing old town and listening to Ghost Of A Rose in the evenings really was quite an imagination-boosting experience for me. And I guess this is what Blackmore's Night does best - turning down the lights after a hard day of working and putting their CD in the player is very relaxing and enjoyable. Still, I really hope Ritchie would leave his mandolins, hurdy gurdys and bard costume in the closet for a while and make a good hard rockin' Rainbow album for a change. Vain hopes, maybe - but as he goes for his electric guitar in some Ghost Of A Rose songs, one can only imagine how good such a break from this medieval stuff would do - not only for the fans of his heavier music but Blackmore's Night as well. Even here, songs like Jethro Tull cover "Rainbow Blues" really make me miss those times before Ritchie stepped into his time machine and travelled back to the middle ages...
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Captain Scurvy / September 2003 |
