  
Frontiers/BAM
Album number eight from The Man in Black and his wife Candice Night. Every album is a success and I believe that will happen now too. Formed in 1997 they are firmly ensconced in their eclectic/jam/folk rock/neo-Celtic/neo-Medieval/progressive rock/chamber pop/world beat styling. Phew, try saying that an early Sunday morning! The cover specials continue as the band goes for RAINBOW´s classic “Temple of the King”, Randy Newman´s “I Think It´s Going to Rain Today” and Uriah HEEP´s equally classic “Lady in Black”. Tragically enough there is also reason for an epitaph over DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord (R.I.P.), who passed away late last year. Apart from Ritchie and Candice the band consists of Bard David of Larchmont on keys and background vocals, Lady Kelly Dewinter, French horn and harmony vocals, Earl Grey of Chimay (haha), bass and rhythm guitar, The Scarlet Fiddler on violin and Percussionist Troubadour of Aberdeen.
The cover of “I Think It´s Going to Rain Today” is actually an excellent opener! It has the trademarks of Mr. Blackmore of cause, but it is still a choice that works. The Russian “Troika” feels a bit out of place, or bent out of shape, and the highly beautiful (but common with this band) “The Last Leaf” gets a bit pedestrian. URIAH HEEP´s “Lady in Black” gets a full treatment, apart from the flute solo that does nothing for me. The classical meets folk greatness of “Minstrels in the Hall” is the perfect combination. It is exactly what I want to hear from this band, and well chosen covers of cause. The emotional goodbye to old colleague Jon Lord is also top notch with feeling, emotion and musicianship of the best quality. But many of the songs leave me feeling that this is the eight time we get the same, if highly professional, treatment. Time for something new? A new RAINBOW album perhaps!!??
Track List
I Think It´s Going to Rain Today
Troika
The Last Leaf
Lady in Black
Minstrels in the Hall
Temple of the King
Dancer and the Moon
Galliard
The Ashgrove
Somewhere Over the Sea (The Moon Is Shining)
The Moon Is Shining (Somewhere Over the Sea)
The Spinner´s Tale
Carry On...Jon
www.frontiers.it www.myspace.com/blackmoresnight1
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