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Review:
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Richie Blackmore has been a minstrel in Blackmore’s
Night for almost as long as he was a guitar hero with Purple
and Rainbow, rarely has anyone had two such divergent but
successful careers. Hoary old Purple fans want still want
him to strap on his trusty old Stratocaster, but why should
he, he’s perfectly happy doing what he does. In 2008 Richie
married his long time partner the lovely Candice Night,
and appropriately this album is dedicated to their new baby
daughter, Autumn Esmeralda Blackmore. Candice is also known
to us for her appearances in Aina and Beto Vazquez’s Infinity.
Their music is renaissance and mediaeval inspired fantasy
folk rock, which they often perform in suitably magical
mediaeval settings. The songs are divided into three broad
categories. Up-tempo folk rock numbers with drums and subtle
electric guitar like ‘Highland’ and ‘Journeyman’. Secondly,
there are the more contemporary Mike Oldfield/Seekers/Steelye
Span esque folk ballads such as ‘Believe in Me’ and ‘Strawberry
Girl’. Finally, traditional/mediaeval/renaissance ballads
and dances full of weird and wonderful medieval tranklements,
with ‘Song and Dance’ and ‘Dance of the Darkness’ giving
you the perfect excuse to don your doublet, hose and codpiece
and go prancing around the living room. It’s all lovely
stuff and great fun, a million miles and a fair few centuries
away from our normal fayre. Verily I say unto thee, ‘tis
available from all ye olde merchants of minstrel merriment,
a veritable 8.5 out of 10.
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