Blackmore's Night
Winter Carols

A strictly Christmas album? Beyond all the discussions that can be made about the appropriateness or not of such a release, one must admit that this is still far from an easy hurdle to overcome.

In the distant past, the rock king Elvis Presley took on this challenge (Christmas Wishes), in more recent times Michael Bolton (This Is The Time/The Christmas Album) and more recently Jethro Tull (Christmas Album). Naturally, the immortal The Beatles (who else!?) cannot be missing from this list; from 1963 to 1969 they published, albeit only for members of the Official Fan Club, seven 45 rpm records, collected right after their breakup on "The Beatles' Christmas Album (1970)".

Historical references aside, "Winter Carols" is an album that, considering the musical style performed by Blackmore's Night, does not seem so out of place given that sweetness and harmony are the foundation of what has been published so far. The atmosphere is somewhat the most sincere reflection of that which surrounds the end-of-year holidays, during which resentments and hostilities are shelved and temporarily replaced by (masked) affection and tolerance. In these twelve tracks, the seasoned duo prefers almost exclusively folk settings, where a good dose of traditional music also converges, a combination that inevitably finds fertile ground, especially when it comes to nursery rhymes and carols of popular origin.

The sacred intro of "Hark The Herald Angels Sing / Come All Ye Faithful" makes it so that the celestial voice of Candice Night begins to soar from an apparent hymn to become a rhythmic ballad capable of captivating those who love to be enchanted by caressing melodies. "I Saw Three Ships" is a composition (with "tarantella-like" undertones) where the most popular musical moods find a suitable application, if only for the time marked by hand claps and tambourine. In "Ding Dong Merrily On High" (where, moreover, a layer of keyboards and a significant choral accompaniment lead), it is possible to enjoy the pleasant emotions that even a guitar and voice piece can genuinely give. "Lord Of The Dance - Simple Gift" and "We Three Kings" will easily be appreciated by those who are still today fascinated by listening to the entire "Shadow Of The Moon", through which feeling part of an (ir)real court feast reveals itself to be more than just a simple sensation.

If besides banquets, you are looking for interpretations that can reach straight to that part of your sensitivity that is more difficult to perceive, the religiosity of "Ma-O-Tzur" can only make your ears even more joyful, which will capitulate without any hesitation in the face of that condition of bliss and satisfaction that the instrumental "Winter (Basse Dance)" is able to create.

Twelve tracks in all, perfect certainly as the soundtrack to a quiet Christmas dinner or a cold winter afternoon, but on any day of the year, they can delight the ears of those who, like me, often seek that inner peace that they manage to experience only for two weeks a year and that Blackmore's Night are able to offer with style.