Album review: BLACKMORE’S NIGHT – Dancer And The Moon

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This is Blackmore’s Night eighth studio album and the band has been going for longer than Ritchie Blackmore’s time combined in Deep Purple and Rainbow now.

Some Blackmore fans will still pine for these rock years, yet that’s missing the point of Blackmore’s Night which sees Blackmore and his wife Candice Night, produce a series of folk/medieval albums.

Each release has also seen a little more of the old electric guitar creeping in, none more so on the band’s take on the Randy Newman song ‘I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today’ – a great pop song to start the album off with.

Traditional music is never far away though, with the Russian flavoured ‘Torika’, whilst ‘The Last Leaf’ is a lovely folk song.

Two classic rock songs get a makeover, first up Uriah Heep’s ‘Lady In Black’ where the band add woodwind and the song lends itself so well to the musical style of Blackmore’s Night. Then we have the Rainbow classic ‘The Temple of the King’ and again this gives Blackmore another good excuse to whip out the old electric guitar.

Clever mixing of song titles with the duo of ‘Somewhere Over the Sea (The Moon is Shining)’ and ‘The Moon is Shining (Somewhere Over the Sea)’.

Candice Night shows what a perfect match she is for Blackmore’s more acoustic playing on ‘The Ashgrove’. The playing and vocals work so well together and I am sure this band would be loved by folk fans if they were given more exposure to their music. A tour with Bellowhead now that would be perfect!

The album ends with a fitting tribute to his former band mate Jon Lord, who sadly passed away last year. ‘Carry On…Jon’ as you’d expect has a Deep Purple vibe to it and a fitting musical tribute, with the guitar taking the lead. Not unlike those Rainbow instrumental tracks from back in the day.

Blackmore’s Night have produced a series of consistently high quality albums and this new album is no exception.

****

Jason Ritchie

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