BLACKMORE’S NIGHT – Nature’s Light (2021)
“Our music is an escape from the stress and pressure of modern times. Journey back through time with us, to a simpler, magical time where music enters your heart and soul”, say Candice Night and Ritchie Blackmore.
The ten new tracks of BLACKMORE’S NIGHT new album ”Nature’s Light” are just that, a mixture of melodic, vintage stuff that could only have been written by Ritchie and Candice.
Once again, the duo is able to mix the tradition of British Folk music and love for the Renaissance sound with their style, inspired by myths and legends of ancient times. Escapism reaching towards an ideal beauty found in different time.
While the album is rooted in a traditional approach, fans of Ritchie Blackmore’s unique style will once again not be disappointed. Heartfelt ballads such as a brand-new version of ‘Wish You Were Here’ set the scene for magical tales on ‘Four Winds’ and ‘The Twisted Oak’. For the two instrumental tracks – ‘Darker Shade Of Black’ and ‘Der letzte Musketier’ – Ritchie shows that his unmistakable Fender Stratocaster guitar sound is still magic as it always was…
”Nature’s Light” continues the duo’s indulgence in spine-tingling medieval Folk, a sound that conjures grasslands, steppes, bonfires, ales, knights, elves, and lore. It opens straightaway with its lead single, the moonlit, jaunty “Once Upon December,” which is perfect for a barnyard gathering of likeminded free spirits.
Following next in similar mood, albeit slightly more graceful, is the equally melodic “Four Winds.”
Time to pass the mugs of ale and roasted marshmallows as the melodrama of “Feather in the Wind” lingers with the evening breeze. The night then gets serious and somber as Blackmore’s Night delivers something initially haunting and ethereal–the slow, organ-drenched and string-orchestrated instrumental ballad, and almost dirge, “Darker Shade of Black,” which then transitions into an anthemic and subtly metallic epic.
The benevolent revelers then rest their backs momentarily against the cushion trees as the ember burns steadily and the minstrels play the waltz “The Twisted Oak.” Blackmore’s Night then treat their audience to the highlight of the revelry – the storytelling part in the form of the grand aural mélange of the title-track, as if welcoming the arrival of something royal and high.
Obviously paying homage to his Deep Purple and Rainbow roots, Blackmore, and Night with the rest of their troubadours, then launches into “Der-letzte-Muzketier [The Last Musketeer]”, an electric-guitar-driven mix of Blues, Classical, and Folk.
Blackmore’s Night then rouse their now relaxing merrymakers with an electrifying song of longing, “Wish You Were Here.”
An apt track to place near the end of the album, “Going to the Faire” is a song of journey and adventures, amidst a symphony of stringed instruments and a festival of flower-haired pilgrims. Finally, Blackmore’s Night wrap up their caravan of delight with the midtempo stomper “Second Element,” where Blackmore’s guitar virtuosity and Night’s powerful, rustic voice shine through till the end.
In this time and age of danceable Pop and aggressive Rock – which, in fairness, are equally engaging works of sonic art – Blackmore’s Night’s compelling new addition to their oeuvre is truly indispensable. It is ready to satiate both the intellect and the spirits, and offers something different & refreshing to our rockin’ ears.
Highly Recommended
01. Once Upon December
02. Four Winds
03. Feather In The Wind
04. Darker Shade Of Black (Instrumental)
05. The Twisted Oak
06. Nature’s Light
07. Der Letzte Musketier (Instrumental)
08. Wish You Were Here (2021)
09. Going To The Faire
10. Second Element
Ritchie Blackmore – guitars, mandolin, domra, wheeled lyre
Candice Knight – vocals, cornamuse, shalmey, rauschpfeif, tambourine
Guests:
Bard David of Larchmont – keyboards, backing vocals
Earl Gray of Chimay (Mike Clemente) – bass, mandolin, guitar
Troubadour of Aberdeen (David Keith) – drums, percussion
Scarlet Fiddler (Claire Smith) – violin
Lady Lynn (Christina Lynn Scleros) – vocals, shalmey, flute
Pre Order:
www.amazon.com/Natures-Light-Blackmores-Night/dp/B08P6764CW
