Ritchie Blackmore

It appears that Ritchie Blackmore, legendary Brit guitar god, axe king of the glorious Deep Purple and Rainbow, is persisting in his attempt to reinvent himself as a Medieval folkie. The fifth outing by Blackmore's Night is another bag of originals, plus a cover of Joan Baez's classic "Diamonds and Rust." The issue with Ghost of a Rose is not whether Blackmore and vocalist Candice Night have the chops. They clearly do. That they insist on using the recording studio to virtually sterilize all that made the music they hold so dear, so vital and dangerous is the real problem. These songs, with their glossed-over edges and Night's completely rounded vocals, don't help to reveal all of the dark passions embedded in the songs themselves. One listen to the early Steeleye Span recordings, or the Watersons "Frost and Fire," reveals just what Blackmore should have been aiming for. [The Enhanced/Special Edition includes a bonus video track for "Way to Mandalay."] ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide