SHADOW OF THE MOON

Tired of repeatedly resurrecting Deep Purple and Rainbow, in the mid 90s Richie Blackmore abruptly decided to pursue his interest in Renaissance-era music. With his partner Candice Night, he crafted 4 studio albums, Shadow Of The Moon, Under A Violet Moon, Fires At Midnight and Ghost Of A Rose. I've got the first three, and while they differ vastly in quality, I have to say that Blackmore's Night rarely seems that progressive to me. Nonetheless, Shadow Of The Moon is a wonderful light listen.

Candice Night's vocals may be a little bit too whiny for some, and she obviously models herself on Annie Haslam and Lorenna McKennit with a touch of Stevie Nicks thrown in for good measure. Anyone familiar with Blackmore's past work won't be surprised to learn that the man plays a mean acoustic guitar that lends this album a touch of much-needed class. Together with keyboardist Pat Regan and a trio of musicians called the Minstrel Hall Consort, they create a pleasing string of lyrical folk-tinged pieces

The lovely Play Minstrel Play, with Ian Anderson guesting on flute, and The Clock Ticks On are probably the most exciting pieces here, while Shadow Of The Moon, Be Mine Tonight, Renaissance Fayre and Magical World are fine pop/folk tunes. I must admit I also fell for the version of Greensleeves included here. Guitar fans are in for a real treat as Blackmore provides us with three delightful guitar instrumentals (Ministral Hall, Memmingen and Mond Tanz) which are a must for those who enjoy Steve Howe's solo guitar pieces.

I'm not too pleased with the cover of Renaissance's Ocean Gypsy and I really hate the Tchaikovsky meets dance (I'm not kidding) travesty that is Writing On The Wall. I aslo feel the album is a bit too long for its own good, with the maudlin Wish You Were Here being one song too many.

Nonetheless, even though I don't think this ranks alongside the truly progressive folk bands, this is one record I always enjoy. ... 54% on the MPV scale