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BLACKMORE'S NIGHT: The Village Lanterne

Release

Style

This is the 5^th studio album from Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night and it contains many surprises! Everybody knows that Blackmore can make some remarkable stuff and this album is a perfect example of that…

Some tracks on the album are traditional of Blackmore’s Night: ”Windmills” is troubadour music at its best. The style of “25 Years” is middle ages folk with Eastern influences. The title track, “The Village Lanterne”, and “World of Stone” are outstanding compositions with a Mike Oldfield feel to it. The melody of “Faerie Queen” sounds a bit like “The Temple of the King”, although it’s very folksy and makes you feel like dancing. The classic guitar solo contains unexpected bends and turns and proves that he’s a virtuoso on the guitar. The instrumental songs, “The Messenger” and “Village Dance”, show that Ritchie still knows how to pluck ones heart strings. These are wonderful songs for those who are partial for the genre that’s closest to a semi classical style of music. I found the drinker’s song, “Olde Mill Inn”, to be rather unsuccessful.

Ok, so I hear you asking if there’s anything new. That was my first thought, as well. “I Guess It Doesn’t Matter” is puzzling to me. The construction, the melodies and certainly the solos remind me of Rainbow. It seems like Candice can certainly cope with a sturdy, up beat song. After the intro of “St Teresa” comes the start of the second, yet not so obvious, song. The solos here remind me of the glory days of Deep Purple! It’s a very nice song. The very folksy track, “Mond Tanz” forms the intro and outro of a more known song, “Child in Time”. You’ve got to admit that this can be considered as quite a surprise. The beautifully revised version remains true to the original song and can certainly be appreciated. The climax of the song has been successfully altered with the use of harmonies. The solo is both old yet new at the same time!  “Streets of London” has been revised to a slower beat and is sure to be a hit with the older crowd J. This song has always had a melancholic feel to it and it really pulls on your heart strings. The new version remains true to this. It’s a great cover song as well a being the single off the album. “Just Call My Name” is the next track and we can hear that Rainbow guitar in the starring role once again. The bluesy sound fits nicely in this song and it makes you feel like singing along. The rainbow track, “Streets of Dreams”, was redone very successfully. There’s also a version sung by the original singer, Joe Lynn Turner, that can be found on the special edition.

The latest album from Blackmore’s Night is jam packed with surprises and it doesn’t look like Ritchie has hung up his guitar quite yet. He hasn’t forgotten how to rock and still knows how to keep his fans satisfied with this fantastic album!

Musicians

1. Shadow Of The Moon (1997)
2. Under A Violet Moon (1999)
3. Fires At Midnight (2001)
4. Past Times With Good Company (2002) (live - 2cd)
5. Ghost Of A Rose (2003)
6. Beyond The Sunset - The Romantic Collection (2004)
7. Castle and Dreams (2005) (live - 2 dvd)
8. The Village Lanterne (2006)

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Last updated: 31 maart 2006 .
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