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21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A refreshing blend of what has come before..., July 15, 2008
If you are a Blackmore's Night fan, you will not want to miss this album.
Firstly, the sound of this album seems to be a combination of the previous ones ~ I can hear elements of all 5 other studio albums, and I mean that in a very good way. There is a 'darkness' to it ~ a mix of "Shadow of the Moon" and "Village Lanterne" (especially a flavour of 'Child In Time').
Some of the songs on this album seem more introspective and 'deep' in places ~ Candice has come back to earlier themes with her lyrics, but it is as though she is looking at these subjects from a different perspective.
God Bless the Keg :
It starts off with a harpsichord sound, and seems rather 'French Revolution' in tone, and then the rest of the orchestration comes in. Just when you think it is finished, you are left with this beautiful, dark, deep organ (reminds me of Bach), and there's also what appears to be Gregorian chanting right at the end. Track 1 runs straight into track 2 ~
Locked Within the Crystal Ball :
A wonderfully powerful song {just over 8 minutes long} ~ I can almost picture that ship from the front cover being tossed on the waves, hear the thunder and see the lightning! The sound is rather like 'Just Call My Name' and 'I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore', because of the drums. There are two slightly lighter instrumental breaks, the first one reminds me rather of 1980's era Clannad... until Ritchie's guitar comes back in! And the second one is much more renaissance in style ~ *very* nice. Another nice little touch is that the lyrics very briefly reference track 7 : 'The Circle'.
Gilded Cage :
Similar in style to both 'No Second Chance', 'Castles and Dreams', and, slightly, 'Ghost of a Rose'. Lots of lovely violin on this one :)
Toast to Tomorrow :
A cross between Mary Hopkin's 'Those Were the Days', and a Jewish wedding! Oh, and 'Home Again'! Very much like a German drinking song ~ the sort of thing to get everyone clapping and singing along. Thankfully, it's much more 'All For One' than 'Olde Mill Inn' {I'm afraid I just couldn't stand 'Olde Mill Inn'}.
Prince Waldecks Galliard :
A lovely instrumental. I can only describe it as a blend of these previous pieces, but also with something unique about it : 'Minstrel Hall', 'Memmingen', 'Fayre Thee Well', 'Village Dance'.
Rainbow Eyes :
I hadn't gotten around to listening to the original, but because of the let-down I felt when I heard the original of 'Sixteenth Century Greensleeves' AFTER hearing BN's amazing live cover {on "Past Times with Good Company"}, I thought I'd better hear it first.
Okay. The original is *GLORIOUS*! That guitar work! That vocal! That flute! You can clearly see {hear?!} the direction Ritchie was destined to head in...
Now, the BN version...
Well, they've given it a more 'rock' sound, but they are using a nice renaissance style drum for the beat, so it is more in their 'folky' style.
Another one with a hint of 'No Second Chance', and a dash of 'Way to Mandalay'. It is beautiful (though the original is still outstanding) ~ I'm sure Rainbow fans won't be disappointed with it :)
The Circle :
The lyrics to this are very inspiring. A very nice bass-line, lots of chanter and {possibly} hurdy-gurdy. There's a hint of 'Under A Violet Moon' and '25 Years' in there, and 'Way to Mandalay' and 'Cartouche'. And maybe a little hint of that 'sway' from 'Village on the Sand'!
This is one of those 'introspective' songs I was refering to...
Sister Gypsy :
Slightly similar to 'Ocean Gypsy' {which was a cover of a Renaissance [Annie Haslam's band] song}, and rather like 'Renaissance Fair'. The drum-beat and tambourine is rather like in their version of 'The Times They Are A'Changin''.
Can't Help Falling In Love :
Despite what some other reviewers have said, I think Elvis would approve!
Very much a 'rock' interpretation, but it sounds so good! Though I can't think of any of their previous songs that this reminds me of...
The band say this cover came about when they were having a sing-song in the pub!
Peasants Promise :
This opens with a beautiful acoustic guitar, and a vocal that reminds me a
little of 'Faerie Queen'. It's an acoustic song, but quite busy ~ it's very renaissance / medieval in sound. If you've got {and I hope you have!} the b-side track 'Sake of Song' {from the 'The Times They Are A'Changin'' single}, it's a *little* like that. They've used a renaissance drum (which sounds a bit like good bodhran playing), violin, chanters, mandolin, shawms, tambourine, and various other similar instruments. It's very addictive, and very much a song to lift the spirits and get everyone dancing :)
Far Far Away :
A similar sound to 'Be Mine Tonight', crossed with 'Castles and Dreams'. This is one of those songs to just lay-back and drift-away with...
Empty Words :
This one has a slight similarity to 'Waiting Just For You', and 'Once in a Million Years'. A very nice song to end with...
Although a few of the tracks on this album could certainly be described as 'weaker' (particularly the last two), they are still good, and for me this is the only BN album other than "Ghost of a Rose" where I can honestly say I like (though not 'love') every song. I will be critical and admit that it is not their best album, but there are 5 excellent tracks (1, 2, 6, 7, 10) which make it well worth buying (and merit the 5 stars!).
I only hope Candice and Ritchie will soon be giving us a few b-sides or live performances {or both} to go with it...
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Take an Amazing Secret Voyage with Blackmore's Night, August 5, 2008
Secret Voyage is the latest from "Renaissance Rockers" Ritchie Blackmore and his lovely wife Candice Night, who lead the merry band otherwise known as Blackmore's Night. For those unfamiliar with this band, Blackmore's Night dons medieval garb, picks up a wide range of instruments from the last thousand years or so, and then proceeds to knock our socks (hose?) off, with their historically-inspired music.
For over ten years, BN has been wildly popular with New Agers and Renaissance Faire Enthusiasts, in the Americas, Japan, and in Europe. I have no doubt that Secret Voyage will make inroads for new BN listeners, and can satisfy BN's long-time fans, like myself.
Secret Voyage does not disappoint in its musical quest, a voyage through time and space, alluded to by the iconic ship on the cover. Some great musical escapism is at work here. The first track, God Save The Keg, is a stately overture, formally inviting us along on this voyage. It is echoed later on the CD in the haunting song, Empty Words. Locked Within the Crystal Ball reminds us that "No one can stop us, we're one with the stars". And so it goes; the melodies of Secret Voyage draw inspiration from east and west, old and new, the joyful and the melancholy. Rainbow Eyes, the sixth track, features a Blackmore guitar solo that will stand up to any performance from his vast earlier repertoire with Deep Purple and Rainbow.
Line-up changes for this disc have not dampened any of BN's earlier musical fire. The fiddler Gypsy Rose has integrated seamlessly into this fine assembly. Likewise, Earl Grey of Chamay brings his talent as a backing player of multiple stringed instruments, and sounds like he's been here a jolly long time.
A bonus video, The Village Lanterne, is included on the disc (it was the title track on BN's 2006 album of the same name). Candice is a lovely Lady of the Lake in the video, calling to mind tales of King Arthur; her unequalled vocals, along with Ritchie's masterful guitar riffs, are not to be missed.
Not too surprisingly, I give Secret Voyage five stars. I believe this CD can proudly claim its place with the rest of BN's fine earlier works. I invite you to take this Secret Voyage to far-away places and times... your uplifted spirits will thank you for it.
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This Moment Is Ours,,,We Are One With The Stars..., August 2, 2008
This album is evidence that Ritchie Blackmore is like a fine wine. He simply gets better with age. His guitar playing with Blackmore's Night is more consistent and creative than with his 2 previous bands and it wasn't bad with them either. Blackmore's electric guitar solos are tastier, more focused and played with more feeling than ever and it is obvious that he really enjoys what he is doing. Just listen to the end of God Save The Keg, the soloing on Locked Within the Crystal Ball and the soloing at the end of The Circle, not to mention Rainbow Eyes. But it is not just his soloing that impresses. His abilities as a composer and arranger have evolved to the point where he can take a traditional song, put it in the Blackmorizing Machine and out comes a modernized version of the song that is far more interesting and developed than the original. And he seems to keep pushing himself to another level on each album, at least with certain songs. The best songs include:
God Save the Keg: Mentally brings the mind to the pomp, circumstance and regalia of the royal procession as it winds its way through the forests and flower-covered meadows of Europe on a sunny summer day in the days of olde. Lush orchestration of harpsichord, clarinet, violins, violas play a catchy medieval melody that will swim around in your head for hours. This fades to a church organ and finally what sounds like monks chanting in Latin. This leads to...
Locked Within the Crystal Ball: This is a mammoth progressive rock opus for the ages. This is one of those majical songs where all of BN's talents are fully realized: The production, the songwriting, the arrangement, the lyrics, the singing, the performance all combine to create a song which truly transcends space and time. The electric guitar soloing is just gorgeous. This is BN's equivalent to Rainbow's Stargazer, that's how good this song is. In fact if this song was put in a time machine and sung by Ronnie James Dio and Rainbow in the mid 1970s, I am sure it would be hailed as one of Rainbow's greatest songs. Blackmore's Night has so many great songs in its repertoire that it would be difficult to say for sure that this is the best song they have ever done, but if not it certainly would come close.
Gilded Cage: One word to describe this song: DREAMY. Proving that Blackmore's Night can create songs which are soft and mellow without being sappy, this song brings to mind mental images of sailing down the Danube on a hazy summer day, glass of wine in hand. When the violin comes in it creates a melancholy, aching, yearning feel that will just tug at your heart strings. Transports the listener to a dreamlike state.
Toast to Tomorrow: If we must have another beer pub drinking song, this is the way to go. The infectious, rousing Russian folk melody is far superior to the slow oompah polka of Old Mill Inn from the previous album which was virtually unlistenable.
Prince Waldeck's Galliard: Another of those short lovely acoustic instrumentals that we have come to expect and love about a Blackmore's Night CD, it sets a wonderful medieval mood, Stunningly beautifully performed. Blackmore sounds really comfortable on the acoustic instrument here.
The Circle: Really catchy, hook-laden melody that will instantly stick in your head and stay there. Has a weird 1960s hippy-trippy vibe bridge in the middle, then reverts to the original melody. Check out the tasty electric guitar soloing at the end as the song evolves into a church chorus finale.
Peasant's Promise: "In the Shade of the Willow Tree": This is the dark horse song of the album! Starts out sounding like one of Blackmore's trademark acoustic instrumentals with a lone mandolin playing. If the song had continued as an acoustic instrumental it would have been perfectly fine. But alas, Mr. Blackmore has a surprise in store for us! Candice starts singing over the lone mandolin and then renaissance drums come in. Finally the song settles into a catchy gypsy melody of recorder and hurdy gurdy. Very upbeat. I like the way Candice sings in a higher range toward the end of the song. Again a song you will be humming to youself throught the day.
The rest of the songs: Despite what others may say, Rainbow Eyes and Can't Help Falling in Love are both good, albeit not great songs. The only complaint I have is that there is some kind of cheesy pulsating synthesizer sound running throughout these songs (the same pulsating synthesizer sound which weakened 3 or 4 songs on the previous album The Village Lantern). While these songs aren't ruined by this pulsing synth sound, they would sound better without it. Get rid of the pulsating synth and just replace it with a strong bass and rock-and-roll drum kit and you will have much stronger songs. Sister Gypsy and Empty Words I find too soft and sappy for my taste and rather nondescript, although my opinion may change on repeated listenings. Far Far Away is a complete disaster; by far the worst song on the album. This song has all the worst that BN has to offer: a bland, soft, sappy treatment, cheesy lyrics and that annoying pulsing synthesizer sound again. But it gets worse. Toward the end of the song Candice's voice morphs into synthetic electronic notes! I don't know what they were trying to do here, but whatever it was, it did not work. Lawrence Welk meets Enya! Ugh!
Overall, another fine effort from Blackmore and his band of minstrels. Like most BN's albums, it contains several spectaular songs, a few good ones and a few weaker ones. Locked Within the Crystal Ball is a monster of a song and may even win over a few disgruntled Rainbow fans. If Blackmore could create an entire album of the quality of Crystal Ball...WOW! You would really have something. But I digress. Go out and buy this now, for one thing is sure: Blackmore's Night is not capable of making a bad album, Blackmore's Night is here to stay, and most of their music is an art form as it far surpasses anything out there that anyone else is doing these days.
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