Customer Reviews

Autumn Sky

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was first introduced to Blackmore's Night earlier this year through the song 'Cartouche' which I instantly loved. I immediately set about obtaining all of their CDs and Blackmore's Night quickly became one of my favorite and most listened to bands. Beyond the Sunset and Ghost of a Rose were my favorite albums of theirs for a long time - until I listened to Autumn Sky. According to the official website of Blackmore's Night, Autumn Sky was inspired by the birth of the couples daughter, whom they named Autumn. This album reflects it, with a lot of love and thought put into in.

1. Highland

This song brought to mind rolling green hills and meadows. An electric guitar adds a nice feel at just the right moments.

2. Vagabond (Make A Princess Of Me)

Soothing, wistful melody with elegant, simple lyrics. Instruments are a guitar, a bell, and a violin. This was one of my favorites on this CD.

3. Journeyman (Vandraen)

Pipes and a harpsichord start out, then lead into vocals with drums and the pipes in the background. This song has more of a rock song then others on the album, and the melody is a little more intense. The lyrics speak of the winding road and the life of a Journeyman.

4. Believe In Me

A love song. A gentle, dreamy song, not my favorite, but easy to listen to.

5. Sake Of The Song

A spinning dancing song in the spirit of "Toast To Tomorrow" and "All For One" (Secret Voyage and Ghost Of A Rose)

6. Song And Dance

Instrumental - Upbeat, toe-tapping number, that will bring to mind lively village dancing.

7. Celluloid Heroes

My least favorite song on the album. It seems to me to have departed from the renaissance style that makes this album awesome. It is still a pretty song, but it is a little jarring to go from Song And Dance, to this slow and melodic pop song. The instruments are the same renaissance instruments as the rest of the album, but the style is just so different and the lyrics speak of Hollywood and movie/music stars.

8. Keeper Of The Flame

Fast, passionate song with a lively fiddle and guitar (or something that sounds like a guitar)

9. Night At Eggersberg

Instrumental - Soothing string piece.

10. Strawberry Girl

Melodic, upbeat song. Strings and rattles are the instruments used.

11. All The Fun Of The Fayre

Upbeat, fast paced song with lots of different instruments.

12. Darkness

A slightly mysterious sounding song. Gentle drums and rattles emphasize the mystery suggested in the lyrics.

13. Dance Of The Darkness

Clamping, stomping, and a lively fiddle and electric guitar all work together to make you want to get up and dance! A quick song with a beat that made me imagine a renaissance village festival at night with couples dancing and spinning around and around...

14. Health To The Company

Soothing, echoing vocals, with violins and a guitar filling the background. The lyrics are a toast to the company, but the melody is a little mournful and the line "let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain; for we may never meet here again" reenforces the wistfulness of the song.

15. Barbra Allen

Bells chime in the background of this tender love song. A pipe and guitar add some lively intermission and support for the vocals.

All in all, I liked every song in the album. This is very rare for me, so I am very happy with it. Some of the tracks are a little weak, but rest are all very good. It is a little expensive right now to get the import, but if you really love Blackmore's Night and can't wait until November, it is very worth it. I, for one, am glad I did!

I'm a fan of Ritchie Blackmore and listen to everything he's been involved in. Moving on from Deep Purple and Rainbow, i felt that "Blackmore's Night"'s was a great progression and change, that coupled a folksy/medieval style with Blackmore's icredible guitar. This album follows in the high standards of the previous albums, and it would be a great purchase for anyone. All the songs were really good, the "highland", "darkness", and "dance of the darkness" are exquisite... the whole album is a delight to listen to!

A wonderful, fun, haunting, sweet, and addictive addition to the body of work created by a unique and completely mesmerizing band comprised of Candice Night and Ritchie Blackmore and their cadre of minstrels. It's hard to pick a favorite song from this album, as most are so very good. This album was created while Candy/Ritchie were pregnant with their daughter, which may have influenced the sounds of these new entries to their repertoire. My opinion: their most beautiful song to date is on this album (Believe in Me), and one of the most haunting (Darkness).

Another wonderful album from Blackmore's Night. Not, I think, quite as strong as Secret Voyage or The Village Lanterne, but still very good. The reason for my "but..." in the title is the opening track, "Highland". Is it just me, or is there more than an echo of "Safety Dance" in this song? And furthermore, the song is so damn catchy I've had it running though my head for weeks now. It's becoming very annoying indeed and is spoiling the album for me. I don't want to listen to it again for fear of refreshing the endless circle of that chorus in my head!

If you don't know Blackmore's Night it is a band formed by former Deep Purple guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, and his wife Candice Night. Along with an ever changing line up of `minstrels' they play renaissance style music, and when playing live they perform in period costume at castles and the like. Very popular in Germany and surrounds which can offer a range of that style of venue, and is an excellent evening's entertainment. They have a formula, and as per the old adage - `If it ain't broke, don't fix it.', so this latest release is very similar to all of their others, and I for one applaud them for it.

Autumn Sky is a mix of traditional and self penned numbers, vocal and instrumental, with a couple from outside writers, which while good, are the weaker tracks on the album.

For some reason Europe and the US have different cover art work. The US got the better deal.

If you know and like the band's previous work it is more of the same. If you are new to Blackmore's Night this album is typical and as good a start point as any. Highly recommended.

Track by track for those looking for more detail.

Highland - Not the best choice of opener as it is the weakest on the album. One of those by outside writers. Over produced and what sounds like a drum machine. No, they wouldn't, would they?

Vagabond (Make A Princess Of Me) - Intro very similar to Purple's - Soldier Of Fortune. Goes into a lilting hypnotic piece and it is not just the lyrics that make it sound a bit like their song Queen For A Day.

Journeyman (Vandraren)- If this is not a drum machine then Squire Malcolm Of Lumley and the techs need to do something to stop it sounding like one. Features Ritchie's signature electric guitar tone. English lyrics by Candice Night but for some reason not included in CD booklet.

Believe In Me - self penned slow number, acoustic to electric as song goes on. Maddeningly familiar melody to the start of the chorus, but at time of writing can't place. Anyone help?*** Only quibble is that Ms Night at times sounds as if she has been taking elocution lessons to hide her native American accent behind posh English. The same is true a few times throughout the album and she is better without it.

Sake Of The Song - Another Blackmore/Night composition, mid tempo good guitar work as always. In concert I am sure the title line will be one for the crowd to shout out. This segues into...

Song And Dance (Pt II) - Full pomp instrumental version of above, booming drums and various pipes a bit like a fast Irish march.

Celluloid Heroes - The old Ray Davies/Kinks song. Good song done well, but just out of place with the other material, even if you are old enough to remember all of the people mentioned.

Keeper Of The Flame - Self penned up tempo, all the elements those familiar with the band will know, even one of Ritchie's favourite licks. A crowd pleaser.

Night At Eggersberg - One of Ritchie's `solo' gentle acoustic guitar pieces. I love them.

Strawberry Girl - Acoustic waltz time, lyrics of fields, meadows and sunshine.

All The Fun Of The Fayre - Up tempo, the instrumental section has a Middle Eastern feel which would be at home played on an oud. Another crowd pleaser with a space for them to shout Oy Oy. If you've seen the concerts you'll understand.

Darkness - A traditional song. Flutes and acoustic guitars. An unusually prominent male harmony vocal with Candice, and her own voice double tracked. Segues into ...

Dance Of The Darkness - Instrumental version of above, shawms prominent and the big drum sound again. Good electric guitar and a chance for the bassist to show his stuff, again no doubt with live performance in mind.

Health To The Company - With such a title I was expecting a rousing drinking song and was surprised to find a slow reflective acoustic piece. Traditional song but lyrically similar to Dandelion Wine from the Ghost Of A Rose album.

Barbara Allen - Traditional song but with an arrangement that builds up. This is the one song where the `elocution lesson' accent should have been used but wasn't.

*** Solved. It is The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern

Labels, labels.

If not all blues are blue (cf. Skip James, "I'm So Glad"), not all folk music is "entirely based on the rough daily existence of the common man in a world much more hostile," as MysticMuse61 claims in a review of 'Secret Voyage' (2008) by Blackmore's Night. There's "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" as an example (sung by Elvis, even better by Dylan), the Carter Family's "You Are My Flower," "Marie's Wedding" (Van Morrison's version). And others, like Deep Purple's "the aviator" (kudos to Steve Morse and Ian Gillan!).

We might listen to King Henry the VIII's "Past Time in Good Company," admirably covered on Blackmore's Night's double-live CD of the same title (less admirably covered on Jethtro Tull's 'The Best of Acoustic Jethro Tull'). Yet it might not be considered "folk music," however much it strives to be . . .

Another previous reviewer, George Dionne, called Blackmore's Night "new age/folk" at the end of his review of 'Secret Voyage'. It was a loose categorization that, as far as I'm concerned, doesn't hurt my heart.

What bothers me more is that I don't much like 'Secret Voyage'. The first album was a pretty great beginning, but the others seem more of the same with only the occasional striking song and a lot of soft spots. The live album stands out because of the concentration of great material.

The new album, 'Autumn Sky,' strikes me as the best studio album since the debut. I've heard "Barbara Allen" covered much more profoundly by Bob Dylan ('Stuck Inside of New York', 1988), but it's really nice to hear "Celluloid Heroes" in a different musical context, and the other songs are more forceful than expected.

I'm more concerned about Candace Night's mannered singing on those two songs than I am about whether or not it's folk or new age, old-fashioned or contemporary. It's interesting that Blackmore has complained about Gillan's singing. Is his hearing near-sighted?