Established in 1997 by Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night, Blackmore’s Night combine elements of renaissance, folk, and rock music which has given them a unique sound and spot in the music sphere. Their eleventh and latest studio album titled Natures Light takes a focused look at nature in its theme.
When listening to Blackmore’s Night, you instantly get brought back to a time where castles and kings still existed with the band’s use of an assortment of instruments such as guitar, mandolin, violin, bass and various woodwinds. Their last album All Our Yesterdays was an enjoyable album with covers of many classics and a few purely instrumental songs, with the overall tone being quite mellow. Still perfect to tap your foot to but the latest album brings a noticeable amount of brightness to the tone of the songs.
The album sets the tone straight away with the opening track Once upon a December. A calm and fun tune that invokes the feeling of a lullaby. The song doesn’t try to do anything complex as far as arrangement but all the instruments create a gleeful backdrop to Candace Nights vocals. The guitar takes the main focus putting down the initial rhythm with the tambourine and violin filling out the sound, to give it a nice comforting tone.
The album follows a similar theme throughout but they do a good job varying between sounds and slowing things with some of the tracks. While the opener sounds like a lullaby and has a slightly haunting undertone, the track Feather in the wind has a quicker tempo and more euro-pop sound making it great to bop your head along to.
The standout song on the album is Darker Shade of Black. A six-minute instrumental piece that incorporates many instruments and blends them perfectly, making it feel much shorter than it is. The song adds in an organ and Harpsichord to the sound of the guitar, violin, mandolin and harmony vocals. It appears on their previous album, however, it is still a worthy addition to this album, blending renaissance with a progressive rock sound.
The album doesn’t have any weak points, however some of the tunes don’t capture me like the others such as Twisted oak and Wish You Were Here which is an updated version of a song from their debut album. They are slower songs that are more like ballads. They are not bad songs but I’m not a fan of the style so they didn’t get many repeats listens compared to other songs.
The craftsmanship on display does need to be commended here, as someone that enjoys all things medieval and fantasy having musicians like Ritchie Blackmore and Candace Night makes this kind of music is a blessing. Candace’s vocals are able to evoke whatever emotion the song calls for whether it be enchanting, haunting, fun or comforting.
Her lyricism too is a stand out and she has a great talent for making lines that you’ll continue humming for weeks and making songs with interesting stories that give the songs more depth. Ritchie’s songwriting is just as up to the standard with phenomenal melodies that evoke all types of feelings. The songs all have unique flavours to them that make them stand out.
Natures Light is another great addition to Blackmore’s Night discography and if you’re a fan you won’t be disappointed. It’s a relatively niche genre of music so it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but if you enjoy traditional folk music or want some songs for a DND session you can’t go wrong with this album.
Blackmore’s Night: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: SPV/Steamhammer
Category: Album
Country: UK / USA
Reviewed by Billy Poulopoulos
