Blackmore's Night
The Village Lanterne

Ritchie Blackmore, great interpreter of Deep Purple and Rainbow, as well as the inventor of the world's most famous solo (the one from "Smoke on the Water") together with his singer companion Candice Night traces the fifth chapter of a fantastic epic saga, creating a spectacular album of modern medieval folk rock music enriched with oriental influences and nuances.

Forget for a moment the rebellious rockstar Ritchie, "The Village Lanterne" is composed of 14 tracks (or 16 if you have the limited edition) of excellent minstrel, baroque, and festive music. I haven't yet had the chance to listen to the previous albums, but apparently, in this latest chapter, the electric guitar prevails, resulting in fantastic solos for this album, a champion of expressivity, rich with alternating emotions to convey, which will appeal to both Blackmore fans and general medieval/folk music enthusiasts.
An excellent hour to spend in a mystical atmosphere, amidst pirate dances in the courts, between bagpipes, castanets, tambourines, flutes, and little guitars. Not to be missed is "25 Years", a delicate and fairy-like song, in which Candice Night enchants everyone with her theatrical and mystical voice, followed by the title track, very melodic and melancholic, sweet and glassy, sad and epic, the result of a sonic reworking of a Balkan folk music piece, which a fan gave to the singer during the tour in Ukraine.

Emotions alternate, and suddenly you move to stronger and rock pieces, like in "I Guess it Doesn't Matter Anymore", with the perfect rhythm to follow with "The Messenger", a slow evocative and instrumental piece of various techniques with which Ritchie introduces "World Of Stone", a song about Joan of Arc, with an epic and nocturnal air. The wonderful "Faerie Queen" begins with Night's swirling singing that moves lightly over a sweet and calm base that gradually transforms into a cheerful festive and danceable tune in which Ritchie contributes with truly monstrous plucked guitar solos reminiscent of certain flamenco characteristics.
From pop and medieval rock, it moves to the real rock folk piece, with "St. Teresa" (by Joan Osborne) an energetic and dynamic piece with an instrumental part of pure hard rock in a folkloric version. Then a short relaxing interlude named "Village Dance" prepares the listener for a tremendous sonic impact, a rare and unique event in music history, the now historic "Child In Time" unforgettable song from every point of view, covered in a medieval version, preceded by a festive melody that is all a program. The initial instrumental part designs dances, games, and so much joy that magically culminates in the initial chord of one of my all-time favorite songs.

It's then the turn of "Streets of London", a spectacular cover of Ralph McTell with a delightful flute, while Just "Call My Name" (which has the most scratchy and rock rhythm of the entire album) delights listening with an excellent melodic chorus. Festive air with the magnificent "Olde Mill Inn", seems to be played/sung in a tavern, where everyone dances toasting with their glasses. More covers, this time "Street Of Dream", a famous Rainbow song, in which softer instruments and the grace of Candice Night make everything seem more delicate and precious. To conclude beautifully, the fantastic "Once in a Garden", very relaxing. But that's not all.
"Village Lanterne" in my opinion is hard not to like, and regardless of the truly enjoyable sounds, the album in itself is a work of art, and as such should be understood, by analyzing and reading the song translations you'll realize how much magic there is, from Siegfried to Joan of Arc, from fairies to the legend of Mary's ghost, even to Don Quixote.

Let's put aside the tough, unconventional, and rebellious rock, let's store away the metal and its derivatives, with this Renaissance Rock, which is nothing but the representation of a fantastic world accessible with and thanks to imagination, we can reach and experience emotions that until now even the most extreme music has never managed to achieve.