Search - Blackmore's Night :: Ghost of a Rose (Spec)

Blackmore's Magnum Opus: Blackmore has Perfected his Craft

bogubundus2 | Rochester, NY | 08/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"NOTE: You MUST listen to this entire album 3 or 4 times before forming your opinion, the reason being that most of the songs are subtley catchy, they are not hit-you-over-the-head catchy, so it takes 3 or 4 listens before the catchy-but-subtle melodies stick in your head. This is also one of those albums where on repeated listenings new nuances emerge which you didn't notice on previous listenings. With that caveat here is my review...With "Fires at Midnight" Blackmore had raised the bar so high I was afraid he wouldn't be able to top that great effort. Were my fears realized? "Ghost of A Rose" is in many ways Blackmore's Night's most mature effort to date; in fact, with "Ghost" Blackmore's Night has established itself as one of the premiere folk-world-progressive-rock outfits of this or any other generation. Does that answer the question? Words cannot describe how much I love this CD. The entire group is in a real comfortable groove here. Candace Night's crystal-clear singing is as beautiful as ever, and her lyric writing continues to improve and mature still further and has become much more consistent. The backing musicians are world-class. The production is sparkling. And soft, sappy pop? Forget about it. Songs which might have been performed as soft sappy pop on previous albums instead here come across as elegant, romantic folk ballads of subtle beauty. Gone are the inconsistencies which plagued the first 2 albums and while "Fires at Midnight" was a very good CD overall, there were still 3 or 4 songs on it which took repeated numerous listenings before I warmed up to them. Not so with "Ghost." From the opening note to the final note you will be CONSISTENTLY mesmerized and left begging for more. Every song is a finely crafted, timeless work of art which must be heard to be believed. There is simply not a boring or weak moment on the entire CD. Every song is fantastic, so I feel compelled to give a brief comment about each and every one. The sing-songish '3 Black Crows' has a wonderful, child-like, fairy-tale-ish quality (note I said child-LIKE, not child-ISH) and the instruments sound very ancient. This tune would fit equally well on the "Shadow of the Moon" CD and Roger Glover's "Butterfly Ball" album. 'Mr. Peagram's Morris & Sword' has a melody that one could easily imagine coming from a wind-up music box. 'Nur Eine Minute' takes us straight to the Middle Ages with its haunting, ancient melody. 'Lorely', with its very catchy, Middle-Eastern melody brings to mind sailing the seas of Morrocco or Tunisia. 'Way to Mandalay' starts out slow then builds into a powerful progressive rocker propelled by some stunningly gorgeous electric guitar playing from the man who plays like no other. 'Cartouche' has a strong gypsy feel. 'Rainbow Blues' is Blackmore's Night's first straight-ahead rocker, ironic in that it was borrowed from a FOLK-rock group. It features solos in the classic Blackmore-Deep-Purple style. 'Dandelion Wine' and 'Where Are We Going From Here' have that sweet melancholy that is becominng a Blackmore's Night's trademark with vocals sung with lots of feeling. 'Diamonds and Rust' features achingly beautiful vocals from Candace and dreamy slide guitar from Blackmore. "Queen for a Day Part I': I know I'm repeating myself but again great vocals from Candace , a delicate, catchy melody, and lyrics which will touch the depths of your inner soul. 'Queen for a Day Part II features nimble fretwork from Ritchie including an unusual jazzy guitar solo in the middle (where did THAT come from?) 'One For All' lyrically has a brash cockiness to it and could easily have been a Ronnie-James-Dio-penned Rainbow song. One of the best songs on the album (although the rest aren't far behind) it features an intro of bluesy melodic electric guitar played with lots of feeling and throughout the song we are treated to great blues-rock electric guitar playing SIMULTANEOUSLY with ancient, medieval-sounding instruments. This is a whole new genre of music, folks: medieval-folk-blues-rock? Blackmore makes the ancient and the modern fit together seamlessly here, not that he hasn't done it before. 'Ivory Tower' is folksy prog with what sound like monks chanting in the background. Finally, I cannot say enough about the title track. It is a magical, powerful pop-ballad that is vaguely reminiscent of 'Eleanor Rigby' with powerful violins and violas blasting out of the speakers. Yet, it is a much more complex and intricate song than 'Eleanor Rigby' with a lot of intricate interplay among the acoustic guitar and the strings with some distorted electric guitar chords added toward the end. This is s true timeless classic; one of the best songs in the entire Blackmore's Night catalog. Finally, I want to say one of the keys to Blackmore's success with this project has been that while each album he has put out has been based on Medieval and Renaissance-period music, each album also has a distinctly different quality which distinguishes it from the others so that the music never gets repetitive, stale, or boring. "Shadow of the Moon" was essentially a traditional folk album. "Under a Violet Moon" was soft pop with Medieval and Renaissance influences. "Fires at Midnight" was the "plugged-in" Blackmore's Night with powerful percussion, more electric guitars, and more of an overall "rock" feel. "Ghost", meanwhile, has taken the best elements of the past 3 albums and developed and refined them while eliminating the inconsistencies and the occasional sappiness. The result is a Middle European-Middle Eastern blend which will mentally transport you to 16th century Prague and Budapest, take you on a trip sailing the Danube in centuries gone by, and bring to mind images of Morrocco. Highly recommended for open-minded listeners who appreciate high quality music, I will go out on a limb and say this is the best release of the year. No matter that the year isn't over yet; I can't imagine anything coming out that could top this."

Ghost of a rose

Eugene M. Pedrazzoli | Palm Bay, Fla. | 09/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ghost of a Rose is the fourth album released under Blackmore's Night, and it seems apparent that Ritchie and Candace have now created their own genre apart from pop. The music contained reminds me of 16th century England with a blend of folk,rock and a hint of Gypsy intermingled.
This album, though similar to the others, definitely shows a maturity in style and performance. It possibly could be their best effort to date. Simply put, it pleases from the first to the last track. I am looking with aniticipation towards their next venture, and can say with certainty that I will buy it with confidence. There is something here for almost any taste."

This is an AWESOME album

Tarek Azzouz | Damascus,Syria | 09/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well what can I say about this album, it's fabulous and I've never ever in my life listened to any thing like this. I have all blackmore's night album and this one is far more beautiful that any other album. Actually I think it's the best album in 2003 and maybe in the decade. The CD is full of great songs but my favorites are "Way to Mandalay", "Ivory Tower","Ghost of a Rose" and of course the perfect one "Diamonds and Rust".I've bought this CD today and I've been listening to it for more than 8 hours and I just can't stop playing it.
I do recommend this for all Blackmore's night and for any one who is interested in knowing their music (medievil/folk).I do recommend Shadow of the Moon and fires at midnight as well.
Great one you gotta have it in your collection."