Blackmore's Night - The Village Lanterne (2006)

Individuality and true musical greatness are marked by an artist who follows his own intuition, without being influenced by other people’s expectations; Ritchie Blackmore’s integrity may occasionally seem strange, if not indeed doubtful to many a Deep Purple and Rainbow fan but it shows that he is one of the best and most exceptional contemporary musicians in every respect. With his band, Blackmore´s Night, featuring his partner, the vocalist Candice Night, Blackmore has certainly not broken with his previous creative forms of expression. Quite the opposite: the songs on his current album, The Village Lanterne, document unmistakably that there’s still the rock musician inside him. But Blackmore has not remained static in his development, he has allowed his penchant for medieval music, which already shone through on many of his hard rock compositions, to culminate in his very own, unique style of music. On The Village Lanterne, Blackmore´s Night combine great vocal melodies, seemingly archaic instrumentations and virtuoso guitar parts with lyrics that allow the listener to dive deep into a mysterious, romantic world. In the process, Blackmore continues to develop his ability as a composer and instrumentalist without ever denying his former artistic identity. Mond Tanz/Child In Time is the resurrection of one of Deep Purple’s greatest hits in a new guise, and Street Of Dreams is a haunting new edition of the Rainbow classic. Both songs represent the close artistic links to Blackmore’s work in the Seventies and Eighties. At the same time, Just Call My Name, St. Teresa or I Guess It Doesn’t Matter show that his rock musician’s heart remains ever-present in his new compositions. On the title track and on Faerie Queen, Candice Night seems to blend together with Blackmore’s acoustic guitar, while 25 Years displays oriental influences. Then there are wonderful moments, such as the folkloric instrumental numbers The Messenger, Village Dance! and the beguiling World Of Stone, Olde Mill Inn and Windmills. The album is rounded off by a new version of Ralph McTell’s Streets Of London.