Blackmore's Night, Winter Carols (Locomotive Records, 2006)
In the short time I've been listening to Blackmore's Night, they have become one of my very favorite acts out there in music-dom -- I've previously reviewed their album Beyond the Sunset. This partnership consists of former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and singer Candice Night, accompanied by other instrumentalists. With its blend of Renaissance instruments and tunes, and prog-rock guitar playing, this is up my alley to such a degree that I almost feel as if this group was created just for me. Granted, they're not for everyone. This isn't music of subtlety -- every emotion is right there, on their sleeves. So you'd think that an album on which Blackmore's Night, a group with a gorgeous sound that is both fresh and old, performs selections from arguably the most beautiful body of music ever, the music of winter and of Christmas, would naturally be a winner -- and you'd be right! If you have any love in your body at all for medieval or folk music, and if you buy one Christmas album this year, let Winter Carols be the one.
There's not a track here that isn't wonderful in some way. The album starts off on an especially festive note, with a track that combines "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" with "O Come All Ye Faithful". Ms. Night caught my ear from the first verse of the song, providing a wonderful bit of separation between the word "Hark" and the rest, so it comes out "Hark! The herald angels sing...". That's just one example of many, but I've found Ms. Night's phrasing of her lyrics to be one of the most compelling aspects of her performance. The instrumental performances are first-rate, especially Mr. Blackmore's guitar playing (as well as mandola, hurdy gurdy, and other instruments).
As superb as Winter Carols is, it's not a perfect release. For one thing, it's pretty short, clocking in at around forty-five minutes. I always feel a bit churlish, complaining about running time, but there's so much wonderful Christmas music out there, it seems that maybe a few more songs could have been included, especially since one track, "Wish You Were Here", is a previously-released Blackmore's Night song. (But then, maybe they're keeping some music in reserve for more Christmas releases in future years?) Also, the CD booklet is fairly skimpy, with no lyrics and little documentation beyond the list of songs and the performers. So the album isn't perfect -- but if you let that be the reason you don't buy it, then don't tell me! OK? I'd hate to arrange for the delivery of a lump of coal in your stocking this Christmas.
