Customer Reviews

Village Lanterne

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Blackmore's Night return with a brand new album titled The Village Lanterne, in some ways their most realized effort. After several releases and years of touring together, Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night seem to have a more clear idea of what they want to do with their music, and where to take it. Especially Candice Night has grown and improved immensely both as a lyricist and singer. Her voice is more mature now, with a distinct sense of confidence and passion. She sings with sheer emotion and conviction through the whole album, proving she's a key element in the unique sound of Blackmore's Night. As for Ritchie Blackmore, no words would do justice to describe his talents and songwriting skills, let alone his distinctive tone and phrasing he puts behind his compositions.

For those of you not familiar with Blackmore's Night (however unlikely that may be), they play an impressive style of Renaissance era music, combining it with elements of new age, folk, rock, and blues, among others. Though heavily acoustic guitar driven, their songs blend a rich array of mandolins, violins, cellos, tambourines, drums, trumpets, bagpipes, and keyboards. Still retaining the classic Blackmore's Night sound, The Village Lanterne is arguably their most modern-sounding release to date. This seems to be because of the recording techniques they employed in the studio, rendering some of the pieces noticeably more contemporary than their earlier work. They are not omnipresent, however. It's more like the band and producer Pat Regan decided to incorporate some new textures and a heavier focus on atmospherics on some tracks. Songs like "Olde Village Lanterne" and "I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore" are both marked with effective rhythmic patterns, particularly in the way the drums and percussion are played. Aside from that though, the songs are your typical Blackmore's Night numbers, highlighted by Night's convincing voice and Blackmore's crystal-clean acoustic guitar, both worth dying for. The symphonic backdrop on "The Olde Village Lanterne" lends it an ethereal new age vibe (thanks to its creative arrangement) while Blackmore fuses wonderful blues licks with 16th century folk melodies on its successor.

As with previous albums, there are mini instrumentals present on The Village Lanterne as well. "The Messenger" merges Blackmore's love for new age and acoustic guitars, utilising subtle keys and orchestral motifs; while "Village Dance" is a more laidback yet more direct acoustic number. Much like these two tracks, "Mond Tanz" (Moon Dance) is the first instrumental part of the band's "Child in Time" rework on track nine. The instrumental piece starts out as a happy, upbeat cut, secretly slipping into the classic Deep Purple anthem, where Candice Night's harmony vocals are so beautiful you may want to freeze. Blackmore throws out full-on blues-inflected riffs before the band goes back to the playfulness of "Mond Tanz" to wrap the piece up. Another "cover" song on the album is the special bonus track "Street of Dreams", found only on the Japanese import of the album. This one features Blackmore's counterpart Joe Lynn Turner, who exchanges verses with Candice Night. The two singers duet, harmonise, and swap choruses, while Blackmore plays an enchanting lead solo with a medieval touch.

Candice Night's vocals on the emotional "Once In A Garden" recall her pure yet powerful performance on the debut album Shadow of the Moon, still a personal favourite of mine. The chanting-like male back vocals and Celtic bagpipe melodies on "World of Stone" and the almost-live performed "Olde Mill Inn", or the hard-rocking "St. Teresa" all help diversify the album, with impressive results.

The Japanese version of the CD contains the aforementioned essential bonus track with Joe Lynn Turner, two booklets (the black and white one being in Japanese) and a neat packaging with a nice sticker. Though Shadow of the Moon and Fires At Midnight will remain on top of many fans's lists, I believe The Village Lanterne will make a great addition to the Blackmore's Night discography.

I have been a fan of Blackmore's Night for awhile now, and I own all the group's albums and the DVD released last year. I really enjoyed Village Lanterne for the same reasons I liked everything else they have done. If you already like the band, you will not be disappointed in the least with the songs found on this disc. The music is beautiful, melodic, and will sweep your mind off to enchanted worlds.

I've loved this duo ever since I first learned of them. Ritchie Blackmore is a virtuosos with the guitar. He can play rock but he plays this stuff even better. "This Stuff" has a definite renaissance flair to it but it sometimes turns to rock as well. It is all excellent, unexpected and well done. I would buy just for the instrumentals...but there is more.

Candice Night is the other half of this duo. She is a delight to the eyes but that is not the reason for any man over 18 to buy an album. She is also a gifted singer with skill and a method of delivery that fits this style to a tee. She has some instrumental skills as well on period wind instruments. For her voice alone, also, this would be great recording.

Fortunately, they work together and the result is sublime. It is beauty. It is among my favorites.

I was very impressed with this cd. As I am a die-hard Blackmore fan, you may think this would be a no-brainer for me to love this cd. Well, while I do love Blackmore's Night (BN), there are some times I feel the music of BN is a tad too mellow or, for lack of a better way to phrase it, "celtic" (I find that I often times have to be 'in the mood' to listen to their cds, as opposed to Deep Purple and Rainbow [I have seen Rainbow live twice, Deep Purple live 3 times, and BN live once in 2004, all terrific, but I digress]). That said, this cd really suprised me---it's a lot harder than I thought it would be; a pleasant suprise.
In my opinion, this cd joins "Shadow of the Moon" and the 2-dvd set "Castles and Dreams" as the best product BN has produced to date (the 2-cd live set and "Ghost of a Rose" would be the next rung [75% great], followed by "Fires At Midnight" and "Under A Violet Moon" [50-75% great material; all are actually terrific, but, being a manic Blackmore/ DP/ Rainbow/ BN fanatic, I judge Ritchie's music quite seriously and do some severe comparison judgments lol]. Get this at once!!!!!!!!!! :)

After listening to Blackmore's Night for several years, I was really looking forward to this cd. Their unique updating of medieval themes and instruments set them apart from the rest of the music scene.

Once again Blackmore's virtuosity playing reaches the high standard you expect. Candace Night shows that her amazing voice has only become more mature and rich. This cd exhibits fantastic playing and a voice that Heaven is trying to get into their choir; so what else do you need to know?

The most important point is that this is not the album for you if you are looking for Blackmore's Night unique medieval/renaissance sound. This cd moves very strongly into the rock/pop genre. Depending upon your expectations, that may be a plus. While the original compositions are good, Blackmore covers his past with both a Deep Purple and Rainbow entry. Sadly, the originals win and you walk away wondering why Mr. Blackmore is revisiting his musical legacy.

The times for Blackmore's Night are changing with this cd. They have moved from medieval/renaisance music infused with rock to a pop/rock band infused with medieval sounds.

Ritchie Blackmore has always been my favorite guitarist but only through Blackmore's Night has he finally found a vehicle through which he can realize his fullest artistic potential. And that potential is at long last being expressed by the most creative, consistent and interesting music of his entire career as evidenced by Fires At Midnight and Ghost of a Rose. Only now do I fully comprehend how much he was limiting himself by playing within the narrow scope of hard rock with Deep Purple and Rainbow. Don't get me wrong. I am a headbanger at heart going back to the early 1970s and I have enjoyed and own all the Deep Purple and Rainbow recordings. But in retrospect, whether Blackmore limited himself in those other bands, or whether his bandmates limited his scope of musical expression, his free reign now to explore brave new musical worlds sees him performing on another level. Indeed, I keep fearing that the shoe might drop, but it never does. As good as Deep Purple and Rainbow were, they did have a tendency to take occasional missteps and drop shoes here and there, with such duds as "Slaves and Masters" or "Bent Out of Shape." Not so with Blackmore's Night. They have been going ten years strong now, and there is not a weak album in the bunch! Oh, there might be some weak songs here and there, but they have never made an entire album of complete duds such as Slaves and Masters or 95% duds such as Bent Out of Shape. Not only does the shoe not drop, but on the contrary, each Blackmore's Night album is more sophisticated, evolved and fluid than its predecessors. Blackmore keeps coming up with new twists to keep things interesting and refereshing. This time he has put out what is essentially a Progressive Rock album with folksy touches and an excellent progressive rock album it is! Is it the best Blackmore's Night album? That depends on your taste in music. I will say it for the most part it meets or exceeds the high quality of musicianship, artistic creativity and production values that we have come to expect of a Blackmore's Night album. I must say a word about Candice Night as well, for her maturing contributions lyrically and vocally have put just as strong a trademark stamp on the Blackmore's Night sound as Blackmore has done with his distinctive guitar playing. Candice has become a very versatile and accomplished singer. She has learned how to use her voice to its fullest potential and to alter it according to the requirements of the song. For example, on 25 Years, her voice glides gently above the music, which is perfect for the relaxed, lulling nature of the song. But on Child In Time she belts out from deep within, which is necessary for the building crescendo behind her. Songs like 25 years, World of Stone, Windmills and Faerie Queen demonstrate a real maturation in Night's lyric writing. As for the individual songs, the best song is Faerie Queen which is perfection and Blackmore's Night at its absolute best. This combination of beautiful melody, enchanting lyrics and vocals sung with such feeling and emotion brings me to the edge of tears every time I hear this song. This is what truly great music is all about. The music, the melody and the lyrics together transport you to another world; in this case the magical forest world of the Faerie Queen. This is followed by what sounds like a Norwegian or Finnish dancing jig. The Faerie Queen/Faerie Dance is worth the price of the CD alone. I could easily put the CD player on repeat and listen to this song over and over and over again and never get sick of it, for the world of the Faerie Queen is one you will never want to leave. Another standout is I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore in which the hauntingly beautiful Morroccan/Tunisian-sounding melody is played on electric guitar, which is something that Blackmore hasn't done before. I wish he would do this more often. On previous albums the electric guitar was used only to play solos or for chord accompaniment. Child in Time/Mond Tanz has been turned into an operatic tour de force. 25 Years is an impressive opener, while World of Stone is a fine progressive rock anthem that is like a much more evolved and sophisticated version of Ivory Tower from Ghost of A Rose. The lyrics about angels falling and a battle involving arrows and crossbows are downright Dio-like with their 16th Century Greensleaves approach. The Village Lantern erupts into a military marching song analogous to March the Heroes Home but again more mature sounding than its predecessor. St Theresa rocks hard and has the most ferocious electric guitar solo on the album. Windmills is a very soft song but not the least bit sappy with some interesting lyrics about battling shadows and demons. The 2 short instrumentals The Messenger and Village Dance are a real treat as Blackmore's instrumentals always are. The timbre on Village Dance creates a Christmassey quality to the sound. But alas, this is not to say this is a perfect album, by any means, but the complaints are minor. A couple of the songs have a cheesy synthesizer sound running throughout the background and the songs would have been better with the synthesizer left out. Can you guess which songs I am talking about? After the first 10 or 11 songs, the album tapers off in terms of quality. Call It Love and the disco remix of All Because of You are complete throwaways. Old Mill Inn features Ritchie Blackmore playing Polka music! I am a fan of eclectic and different styles of music but they totally lost me on this one. And do we really need another beer pub drinking song? Both versions of Street of Dreams are not bad but they sound like they came from a tribute album where the tribute version sounds like an inferior outtake of the original. More could have been done with this song to make it a medieval masterpiece. I could just imagine how much better it would have sounded if medieval horns were added to replace the synthesizer melody of the original; instead, without the synthesizer and no other instrument replacing it, it just sounds like something is missing. On the other hand, the guitar solos in these versions are better than in the original. All in all, while a satisfying effort from the band and there are some phenomenal songs here, The Village Lanterne lacks the consistency of both Ghost of A Rose and Fires At Midnight, but only because several filler songs were tacked on at the end. Finally, for all the naysayers who continue to bash Blackmore for his change in musical direction, all I can say is "Beethoven sucks because I don't like classical music!"

Update: 7/20/08
Two years on, I re-read this review and thought "What an arrogant tosser!" :) I should have know better than to make snap judgments like I did in the following review. I'm not going to change it now, as I think it is still a valid first impression of the album. However, in the light of listening to these songs for the best part of two years now, I am going to re-rate them. Oh, and I take it back about Candice doing rock vocals... she's great!

25 Years: 9/10
Village Lanterne: 10/10 - this is just a fabulous song; very powerful and moving
I Guess it Doesn't Matter Anymore: 9/10 - first impressions remain
The Messenger: 8/10
World of Stone: 7/10 - I still don't like this one as much, but it is an ancient melody and having seen it performed live, I have a much greater appreciation of it now
Faerie Queen: 9/10
St. Teresa: 7/10
Village Dance: 7/10
Mond Tanz/Child in Time: 5/10 - I still like this medley least of all songs on this album, but I think the 3/10 I gave it before was a bit harsh!
Streets of London: 7/10
Just Call my Name: 10/10 - what was I thinking? This is a superb song and an incredibly clever rock love song
Olde Mill Inn: 5/10 - the only downgrade from my first review; it just doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. Nothing like the calibre of previous similar songs like Home Again.
Windmills: 8/10
Street of Dreams: 8/10

So this is the original review: -

I have to preface this review with an admission that I am besotted with Blackmore's Night, and it's not just because of the "come hither" looks that Candice flashes the audience when she's singing on stage, either!

This music may not appeal to everyone, and it's so ecletic as to defy any serious attempt at categorization, but one thing it is not is pretentious, as a previous reviewer has implied. Yes, the romatic illusion of days gone by that features so heavily in the melodies, lyrics and visual imagery of this band is just that - an illusion, but I don't think that Ritchie and Candice are trying to rewrite history. The romanticisation of the past has been a perennial feature of artists throughout history and even if the illusion is a lie, it does us good to get lost in it for a while. Anyone who can't escape into a fantasy world occasionally must find life pretty dull and dreary. More to the point, the very core of music is its ability to lift us out of the mundane and transport us somewhere else. It may not touch a chord with everyone, but if it does it for some (and that is patently true for this band), to mock it for so doing is just infantile.

As others have said, this latest album continue to develop the music of an inspirational team. As a composer (I think he deserves this term over the more prosaic "songwriter"), Ritchie is simply masterful. His ability to create just exactly the right phrases and harmonies, his sense of timing and his musicianship sets him in a class of his own. Candice's voice is bewitching, beguiling, heartbreaking and every other cliche you can think of for a female singer. Where I think there is a weakness, if any, is the occasional contrived or naive lyric. I'm afraid I see this just as much in this latest album as in the first, hence the 4 instead of 5 stars.

So, on to the review. My track list differs somewhat from the one listed here, as one of the bonus tracks is "All Because of You (Radio Edit)" and not "Call it Love". However, this "radio edit" is such an awful, poppy, dumbed-down version of the beautiful original from "Fires at Midnight" that I'm not even going to bother reviewing it. If this is what they need to do to get the songs played on the radio, then for God's sake just forget about the radio!

"25 Years": I left reviewing this song till last, and now I come back and still can't think what to write about it. I like the song: it's kind of folk, kind of mediaeval, kind of light rock. I guess what I'm saying is that it thoroughly has the stamp of BN on it and defies description. Listen to it! 7/10

"Village Lanterne": Both the album and its title track seem to be misnamed. The album has a much more modern feel than its predecessors, but the name seems to be more rustic and ancient. Likewise, this song ahs a modern, almost electric feel, with a marching song beat (a-rum-pah-pum-pum!), and doesn't at all put me in mind of an old renaissance village, with a tavern and a latern. However, that doesn't stop it from being a moody and beautiful song, with a stirring crescendo that is almost anthemic. 8/10

"I Guess It Doesn't Matter Any More" is the album's first out and out rock and roll track where we see Ritchie writing stuff that is at least as good as anything ever written for Deep Purple or Rainbow. Actually, I would say that it's better, as it seems to be unfettered by the chains of genre that Ritchie seemed to labour under for much of his early career. There's more tonal variety and an object lesson in the ease with which he fuses rock/blues riffs and energy to traditional folk melodies and harmonies. The introductory passage, which is reprised during the mandatory instrumental break, is so simple and so catchy that I still can't get it out of my head! The only unfortunate thing about this is that, when singing to rock music, Candice's voice moves from unique to ordinary. That's not to say that it gets worse, or that she can't sing rock, but that rock vocals do not lend themselves to displaying such a beautiful voice to its best, and so what we hear could be any one of a number of accomplished female rock singers. 9/10

"The Messenger" is an instrumental ballad (if there is such a thing), with a very pastoral English folk melody and some very modern production. It makes me think of a stream running through an English meadow in the summer, not a messenger, which brings to mind someone who is in a hurry and out of breath. I'm not sure how they think of titles for these songs, but maybe I'm just missing something in the music. It's a lovely melody, though, and fully deserves the 8/10 I'm going to award it.

"World of Stone" is much more mediaeval than any of the previous songs, with some complex vocal lines and monastic male chanting for backing. For me, the style is almost too "sacred" and reminds me of the vocal and linguistic acrobatics that church choirs go through when trying to put psalms to plainsong. 5/10

"Faerie Queen" is classic Blackmore's Night, with a delicate folksy first half that is haunting and evocative, with Candice's voice at its most enchanting. For the finale, the song moves up tempo into one of Ritchie's virtuoso guitar performances, that somehow manages to mix classic Spanish elements with a renaissance travelling minstrel style that you can almost imagine court jesters prancing to. 9/10

"St. Teresa" starts off with a slow acoustic guitar melody that you just know is going to take off before too long. Sure enough, the song breaks into a real hard rock number that wouldn't have looked out of place on "Stranger In Us All". Candice's rock lyrics are very convincing, but once again I get the feeling that this style of music just doesn't do her justice. The song is good, but not great, despite a liberal splash of some of Ritchie's classic work on the Fender Strat. 7/10

"Village Dance" is another instrumental piece that is firmly set in the renaissance. Unlike many of the other songs on this album, it seems to match its title very well and you can imagine villagers dancing round the maypole to this tune as the minstrels play. Maybe it's just my irreverence, but I found myself thinking of Camberwick Green (if you aren't English or old enough, you won't know what that means!). 7/10

"Mond Tanz/Child in Time". What can I say? I liked Mond Tanz, and I guess I also liked Child in Time - back in the seventies when that kind of music sounded good. Candice does the song well, but really, I don't think Child in Time is worthy of being played as part of a medley that includes a song from the much more musically mature Blackmore's Night repertoire. My feeling is that this was a sop to the old Deep Purple fans who continue to come to the BN concerts and demand Black Knight. Sheesh! 3/10

"Streets of London" is a cover of the old Ralph McTell ballad, which I have always loved. This is a beautiful rendition of it, and Ritchie works in some musical magic that the original composer certainly never thought of, but to be honest, I prefer the original; marginally. It's still a great song though and Candice adds some new passion to the lyrics that were not in the original, which was delivered rather precisely and prosaically. 7/10

There are parts of "Just Call My Name" that would be destined to make this song an all-time classic if the whole song was of the same calibre. The chorus is truly memorable and there are flashes of Ritchie's usual genius, but I found myself getting bored by this up-beat rock number. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the generally high standard of the rest of this band's work. It's still a good song, just not great. 6/10

"Olde Mill Inn" is an attempt to fabricate a drinking song, and as such it comes across as a bit contrived. It's not the song that I object to, which is very catchy and sounds just like it could have been sung in the gin palaces and pubs of Victorian London, but the way in which it is all laid on a bit thick. From the slightly off-time clapping and "drunken" off-tune backing voices to the cringe-worthy bartender who's name is "Kim" (oh my God, Candice, whatever possessed you to write that line?), I get the feeling that BN are trying to TELL me that I am in a pub, rather than feeling that I actually am. 6/10

"Windmills" puts BN back to what they do best and, although this is definitely not my favourite of the album, does at least seem full of the honesty and charm that epitomises most of their work. This is a folk song, in the modern sense of the word, rather than a mediaeval or renaissance tune. The lyrics, especially when contrasted to the previous track, are some of Candice's best. 8/10

"Street of Dreams" is a cover of a song from the Rainbow album "Bent Out Of Shape". It's a good song and, much to my amazement, I think that Candice sings it better than Joe Lynn Turner. Again, this is not doing Candice down, but rather a comment on her suitability for singing rock vocals. However, the vocal line for this song is so melodic that Candice actually adds something with her clear and emotional delivery that Turner's rather muddy voice lacks. 8/10

I just recently started listening to Blackmore's Night. I listen to everything from Death/Black metal to some New Age/Celtic stuff...I'm an old metal head from way back. Ritchie Blackmore and his wife have hit the ultimate in creativity with this latest one also. Although every one of their albums are fantastic. I can't even think of a song I don't like here. The highs and lows and changes in tempo are wonderful are uplifting and rocking and "soothing" all at the same time. Ritchie's guitar is a complement to the highest extent to his wife's voice. Bravo for all the fine albums. I enjoy all of them immensely. And keep making them!

I am neither a big personal fan of Deep Purple, Rainbow, or, necessarily Ritchie Blackmore. I do enjoy the occassional "old world folk" style of music, especially Celtic and Scottish styles. I was somewhat intrigued to see that someone so deeply entrenched in rock and roll decided to redirect his musical so substantially. So, the purchase of this CD was a bit of a gamble for me.

The result of my gamble has been a very enjoyable listen.

First, Ms Night's voice is very solid. She delivers all of the songs with both technical strength and emotional conviction. She does not attempt to over sing any of the melodies and blends her vocals in very well with Ritchie's guitar work. She seems to be working to be a "part of the band" rather than a solo singer with back-up.

The music is most certainly a blend of the "old world" with hints (sometimes strong ones!) of the new. It is neither really. A good ole rock-n-roll back beat sometimes sneaks in behind middle-age sounding melodies and instruments. There are a couple of very good guitar based instrumentals that are followed by pieces that jump right back out at you in way that reminds you that Ritchie has his roots in rock-n-roll. Sometimes, taking that sort of approach can be a disaster. In this case, the whole concept seems to work very well.

Blackmore's guitar playing is excellent here as well. I expected nothing less than top notch and that is what he delivers.

The only hang up I have with this disc is that, on two occassions late in the ablum (including the bonus material), there are a couple of pieces that are, essentially, "old world" filler. However, for the most part, the song writing is good as well. I find the opener, 25 years, to be one of those songs you can't get out of your head. "Doesn't Matter Anymore" is a really interesting piece, retelling a 20th century ghost story from the Chicago area.

Finally, I am normally not a big fan of bonus material that repeats what is already on an album but "with a slight twist". However, I have always liked the "Rainbow" version of Street of Dreams. The first version on this album has Ms. Night singing it herself. It is a good version as well. However, the bonus version has her singing it as a duet with the original lead singer from Rainbow. That version is the best of the three by far and one of my favorites on this album as well.

Overall, quite an enjoyable album. It is different, and better, than the standard, "one off" fair that many artist give you these days to make $$$. It is obvious that this is the direction that Blackmore's heart is leading him. That conviction shows through on a good album with an excellent partner in Ms. Night.

If you were looking Purple on this album, it's there to a degree. If you were looking for Medieval themes, they're here too. One reviewer said "eclectic" and that sums up Blackmore's Night. Ritchie and Candice have woven a complex and intersting tapestry of melodies, rythyms and words into something many will enjoy.

For those who don't understand the title or the imagery behind it, many medieval villiages had a lantern burning at the center of town. It served as a beacon for folks to find there way by night. I think that is the point of, first off, the track by that name, and the entire album. No matter how far afield you go, you can find your way back, even if it's in the memories of friends and family.