 BLACKMORE'S
NIGHT
Winter Carols
Locomotive Records 2006
www.blackmoresnight.com
What’s the 4-1-1?
The renaissance rock group featuring the former Deep Purple guitarist
Ritchie Blackmore continues their own brand of acoustic music, this time
branching out with a CD of Christmas music.
Genre
Renaissance / folk / christmas / rock
The Good
I’ve been a big fan of the band since I first discovered them. The
music is pretty good here; they don’t overuse a lot of the same holiday
songs that appear on most every other Xmas themed release. Candice Night’s
vocals are once again beautiful and ethereal.
I liked “I Saw Three Ships” which had a lively up tempo feel and
an almost danceable quality to it. “Lord Of The Dance / Simple Gifts” was
very good, and though there was a drastically different structure to the Blackmore’s
Night version of “We Three Kings,” I thought it worked just as well
as the traditional version. Different is always a dirty word when it comes to
re-recording the classics. Oh, and the instrumental “Winter (Basse Dance)” was
very appealing.
The Bad
With that being said, there were a surprising number of songs that felt
simply off in some way. Songs like “Ding Dong Merrily On High” and “Good
King Wenceslas” just didn’t connect with me at all.
While I liked the opening “Hark The Herald Angels Sing / Come All Ye Faithful,” I
wasn’t too keen on the group’s changing of the lyrics in the second
song from “Christ The Lord” to “He Is The Lord.” I don’t
object out of any personal religious fervor, but “He Is The Lord” is
NOT the lyric line that was written. This is an example of when changing a classic
works less well.
The Verdict
I think the album is good, but it’s a far cry from what I would’ve
hoped for. I’m not saying they should’ve aimed for Trans-Siberian
Orchestra greatness, but I did expect a bit more out of this release.
Did You Know?
The first Blackmore’s Night album Shadow Of The Moon featured a guest
appearance by Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson.
Rating:  out
of 5
Related Reviews:
Blackmore's Night - The Village Lanterne
-- Jay Roberts
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