In 1993 Ritchie Blackmore took a remarkable step in his career. Dressed in a gnome hat, the former star guitarist of hard rock formations Deep Purple and Rainbow began to create a strongly Renaissance-influenced mix of (prog) rock, new age and folk, assisted by his life partner Candice Night, who took care of the vocals. . On the records of his new band Blackmore's Night, Blackmore largely left the
… electric guitar in the corner and limited himself to the acoustic guitar, in addition to ancient instruments such as the hurdy gurdy, the mandola and the 'Renaissance drums'. The simple vocal lines are based on Celtic melodies and the accompanying music is very reminiscent of the instrumental folk rock work (eg In Dulci Jubilo) that Mike Oldfield produced in the late seventies. Blackmore ' s Night has found a good balance between the intimacy of folk and the power of rock on the third studio album Ghost Of A Rose, avoiding overly bombastic. In practice, the combination of styles that may raise eyebrows on paper turns out unexpectedly tasteful. (MS)more
