迷离梦幻异国曲风 最新抒情浪漫精选 诗词歌谣与天籁音嗓 完美结合的优美乐章,曼陀琳、短笛、手鼓 编织而成的典雅诗篇,Blackmore's Night 在欧、美、日销售成绩一贯出色,最新专辑「Minstrels and Ballads」除了浪漫、绮丽以及民谣的敍事,更吟唱出人性良善、光辉、和谐的一面,更重要的是,可以一次听到Blackmore's Night所有浪漫抒情曲的精华。
这张专辑中,包括改编Bob Dylan的作品「The Times They Are a Changin」,还可以听见他们诠释经典民谣「Greensleeves」,一改传统的幽远哀怨,显得更和善真挚。也有洋溢和风的「Benzai Ten」,敍述日本七福神中司掌音乐、口才、福德的女神古老传说;更有妻子Candice Night独创的女性思维「Now and Then」及Blackmore的乐器独奏。无论是改编旧作、经典,或是创作新的歌谣,乐迷都可深刻感受到Blackmore的多才多艺。
摇滚吉他巨擘Blackmore也是这样的爱上来自民间的诗词歌谣,他曾经是Deep Purple与Rainbow的创始者,却爱上了欧洲中世纪民谣及文艺复兴色彩的音乐,偕同拥有天籁般音嗓的妻子Candice Night,组合成Blackmore's Night,一次又一次带领乐迷进入绚丽又平和的世界旅程。
如果你已经拥有了Blackmore's Night之前的专辑,更不能错过「Minstrels and Ballads」,因为你可以一次品味他们的时间作品;如果你还没有参与过Blackmore's Nights绚丽丰富又复古浪漫的旅行,这张专辑也绝对会是个理想向导。
by Dave Thompson
A very well-packaged and superbly compiled Japanese album highlighting some of the best material from each of Blackmore's Night's first three albums, Minstrels and Ballads emphasizes the gentler side of the project. That it offers little of interest to the dyed-in-the-wool Deep Purple/Rainbow fanatic is no surprise -- even absolute neophytes will glance at the cover and digest the title, and know Blackmore's Night delves deep into what modern marketing calls Celtic and new age pastures. However, Blackmore's long-renowned abilities are by no means dormant as he sacrifices volume and electricity for intricacy and warmth and, if Candice Night's vocals (not to mention her sometimes second-hand Stevie Nicks imagery) can grow a little cloying when listened to protractedly, still there's enough dexterity on display to take your mind off her harsher extremes. Song-wise, the album breaks down via five songs from the duo's debut album, four from its sophomore effort, and five from 2001's Fires at Midnight -- including that genre-bending reworking of Dylan's "The Times They Are a Changin'." There's also (perhaps inevitably) an airing of "Greensleeves," a number that Blackmore has had his eye on since at least the early days of Rainbow, and which says as much about Blackmore's Night's versatility as any of the original songs -- maybe even more. Those other tracks, after all, are the sound of Blackmore realigning old musical traditions to the capabilities of his own band. "Greensleeves" is the genuine article, but loses nothing in its updating. If you already own (and love) any of the original Blackmore's Night albums, Minstrels and Ballads is an extravagance that you really don't require -- just run out and buy the rest of the catalog. Anybody wishing to venture for the first time into the duo's captivating land of castles and cauldrons, however, could find no better guide than this.