Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 A refreshing blend of what has come before... July 15, 2008
K. Sinclair (UK)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
If you are a Blackmore's Night fan, you will not want to miss this album.
Firstly, the sound of this album seems to be a combination of the previous ones ~ I can hear elements of all 5 other albums, and I mean that in a very good way. There is a 'darkness' to it ~ a mix of "Shadow of the Moon" and "Village Lanterne".
God Bless the Keg :
It starts off with a harpsichord sound, and seems rather 'French revolution', and then the rest of the orchestration comes in. Just when you think it is finished, you are left with this beautiful, dark, deep organ ~ a bit like the opening of Enigma's song 'The Rivers of Belief (The Returning Silence)', and there's also what appears to be Gregorian chanting right at the end!
Track 1 runs straight into track 2 ~
Locked Within the Crystal Ball :
My current addiction!
A wonderfully powerful song {just over 8 minutes long} ~ I can almost picture that ship from the front cover being tossed on the waves, hear the thunder and see the lightning! The sound is rather like 'Just Call My Name' and 'I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore', because of the drums. There are two slightly lighter instrumental breaks, the first one reminds me rather of 1980's era Clannad... until Ritchie's guitar comes back in! And the second one is much more renaissance in style ~ *very* nice. Another nice little touch is that the lyrics very briefly reference track 7 : 'The Circle'.
Gilded Cage :
Similar in style to both 'No Second Chance', 'Castles and Dreams', and, slightly, 'Ghost of a Rose'. Lots of lovely violin on this one :)
Toast to Tomorrow :
A cross between Mary Hopkin's 'Those Were the Days', and a Jewish wedding! Oh, and 'Home Again'! Very much like a German drinking song ~ the sort of thing to get everyone clapping and singing along. Thankfully, it's more 'All For One' than 'Olde Mill Inn' {I'm afraid I just couldn't stand 'Olde Mill Inn'}.
Prince Waldecks Galliard :
A lovely instrumental. I can only describe it as a blend of these previous ones, but also with something unique about it : 'Minstrel Hall', 'Memmingen', 'Fayre Thee Well', 'Village Dance'.
Rainbow Eyes :
I hadn't gotten around to listening to the original, but because of the let-down I felt when I heard the original of 'Sixteenth Century Greensleeves' AFTER hearing BN's amazing live cover {on "Past Times with Good Company"}, I thought I'd better hear it first.
Okay. The original is *GLORIOUS*! That guitar work! That vocal! That flute! You can clearly see {hear?!} the direction Ritchie was destined to head in...
Now, the BN version...
Well, they've given it a more 'rock' sound, but they are using a nice renaissance style drum for the beat, so it is more in their 'folky' style.
Another one with a hint of 'No Second Chance', and a dash of 'Way to Mandalay'. It is beautiful ~ I'm sure Rainbow fans won't be disappointed with it :)
The Circle :
The lyrics to this are very inspiring. A very nice bass-line, lots of chanter and {possibly} hurdy-gurdy. There's a hint of 'Under A Violet Moon' and '25 Years' in there, and 'Way to Mandalay' and 'Cartouche'. And maybe a little hint of that 'sway' from 'Village on the Sand'!
This *really* makes me want to get up and dance!
Sister Gypsy :
Slightly similar to 'Ocean Gypsy' {which was a cover of a Renaissance [Annie Haslam's band] song}, and rather like 'Renaissance Fair'. The drum-beat and tambourine is rather like in their version of 'The Times They Are A Changin''.
Can't Help Falling In Love :
I think Elvis would approve!
Very much a 'rock' interpretation, but it sounds so good! I can't think of any of their previous songs that this reminds me of, as the drums have filled my head with the image of galloping horses...
Peasants Promise :
This opens with a beautiful acoustic guitar, and a vocal that reminds me a
little of 'Faerie Queen'. It's an acoustic song, but quite busy ~ it's very renaissance / medieval in sound. If you've got {and I hope you have!} the b-side track 'Sake of Song' {from the 'The Times They Are A Changin'' single}, it's a *little* like that. They've used a renaissance drum, which sounds a bit like good bodhran playing{!}, violin, chanters, mandolin, shawms, tambourine, and various other similar instruments.
It's very addictive ~ I want to dance to this one, too!
Far Far Away :
A similar sound to 'Be Mine Tonight', crossed with 'Castles and Dreams'. This is one of those songs to just lay-back and drift-away with...
Empty Words :
This one has a slight similarity to 'Waiting Just For You', and 'Once in a Million Years'. A very nice song to end with...
Although a couple of the tracks on this album could be described as 'weaker', they are still good, and for me this is the only BN album other than "Ghost of a Rose" where I can honestly say I like every song.
I only hope Candice and Ritchie will soon be giving us a few b-sides or live performances {or both} to go with it.
Take an Amazing Secret Voyage with Blackmore's Night August 5, 2008
John J. Toutant (Southern New Jersey, USA)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
Secret Voyage is the latest offering from Ritchie Blackmore and his partner Candice Night, the talented troubadours who lead the world-renowned band of merry "Renaissance Rock" musicians otherwise known as Blackmore's Night. For those unfamiliar with this band, or this genre, Blackmore's Night dons their medieval garb, picks up a wide range of instruments spanning the last thousand years or so, and then proceeds to knock our socks (hose?) off, with historically-inspired and original music, weaving an enchanting and magical selection of tunes for our listening pleasure.
For over ten years now, BN has been wildly popular with New Age Music Fans, Renaissance Faire Enthusiasts, in Japan, and in both Eastern and Western Europe: I firmly believe that Secret Voyage will make inroads for new BN listeners, as well as satisfying all of BN's long-time fans, like myself.
Secret Voyage, like BN's earlier works, does not disappoint. The music calls to mind a voyage through space and time, that the mystical ship on the cover alludes to. There is some great musical escapism at work here. The first track, God Save The Keg, is very much a stately overture, formally beckoning us along on this voyage. It is echoed later on the CD in the lovely and haunting song, Empty Words. Locked Within the Crystal Ball reminds us that "No one can stop us, we're one with the stars". And on it goes; the alluring melodies of Secret Voyage draw inspiration from east and west, old and new, the joyous and the melancholy. Rainbow Eyes, the sixth track on the disc, features a Ritchie Blackmore guitar solo that will stand up to any performance from his vast and varied repertoire with both Deep Purple and Rainbow.
Band line-up changes for this disc have not dampened any of BN's earlier musical fire. The fiddler Gypsy Rose, known for her previous work in this musical genre, has integrated seamlessly into this fine assembly. Likewise, Earl Grey of Chamay brings his vast talent as a backing player of multiple stringed instruments, and sounds like he's been here a jolly long time.
Included on the disc is a bonus video, The Village Lanterne (the title track on BN's 2006 album of the same name). Invoking Arthurian Legend, Candice is a lovely Lady of the Lake in the video; her unequalled vocals, along with Ritchie's masterful guitar riffs, are not to be missed.
Not surprisingly, I give Secret Voyage five stars. This CD can proudly claim its place with the rest of BN's illustrious earlier works. I invite you to take this Secret Voyage to far-away places and times... your uplifted spirits will thank you for this gift of musical enlightenment.
Secret voyage...secret pleasure.... July 16, 2008
Kathleen M. Simpson
7 out of 14 found this review helpful
This is a amazing album,and i find it funny how Ritchies past glories now haunts him,because people wont let him go forward with this,but be warned...he is stubborn,and will continue with this project until HE decides to move on.
So grab a glass of wine,or beer or whatever and relax and let Ritchie and Candice take you on a secret voyage.
You wont regret it.
 Another Great Album from BN July 20, 2008
Paul Spring (Newark, DE USA)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is definitely another in the long line of fantastic albums from Blackmore's Night. If you are a fan of BN, don't hesitate to buy it! Like all their previous work and, for that matter, any complex and enduring music, it takes a while to grow on you. But that just makes it more of a voyage of discovery as, each time you hear it, you uncover more layers and a greater appreciation of the artistry.
That being said, the melody of God Save the Keg and Empty Words is instantly unforgettable. It sounds like one of those folk tunes that you've known all your life but just can't place - I certainly can't. I think they used this as the intro number to their 2007 tour. God Save the Keg is richer and more complex, like one of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches, but Empty Words is so haunting and Candice's voice is, as usual, nothing short of angelic.
Fully half of all the songs are shown in the the sleeve notes as "Based on Traditional", with Ritchie continuing his interpretations of renaissance, mediaeval and other folk melodies. Three tracks are covers and three are completely original, so there's something for everyone here.
In general, I absolutely love the covers that this band does; they are usually significant improvements on the originals. My only criticism of this album, which is otherwise superb, is of two of the covers: Rainbow Eyes and Can't Help Falling in Love. I'm afraid I really don't like Can't Help Falling in Love and is probably the only BN track that I skip when I'm listening to the album. Maybe it'll grow on me, but I doubt it. More controversially, I am ambivalent about Rainbow Eyes. Musically, it stands on its own as a beautiful song, and the reworking is certainly not bad. It just... it's just... well, totally arse about face! Rainbow should have done the upbeat version that's featured on this album and Candice should have been singing the haunting ballad that features on Long Live Rock and Roll!
My current favourites are (in no particular order):
God Save the Keg
Locked Within the Crystal Ball
Toast to Tomorrow
The Circle
Empty Words
I think we'll find that The Circle is going to become a staple of the live concerts. It just begs you to get up and dance and, I think, will be fun for the band to play live. I wish I was seeing them on tour this year, but they're not doing any US dates. :(
Edit: I am rapidly forming the opinion that the "The Circle" is the gem in the crown of this album. It is a truly epic song! Something of Cartouche, Village on the Sand and Stargazer in it. I defy you not to at least tap your feet along!
 A bit disappointed August 6, 2008
Moonsorrow
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
I am a very big Ritchie Blackmore's fan (and I'll always be). I love Deep Purple and certainly Rainbow too. And when I first listened to Blackmore's Night, I loved it too. Obviously, I bought all of their records, from "Shadow of the Moon" to this one, "Secret Voyage"; and I have noticed that every new album from BN has taken a descending road in my personal expectations as a very big fan. I think that BN is repeating itself again and again; like someone said before, there are no surprises. Yes, it's still a nice album, but not great. It seems like BN played all of its cards and the stock is close to a sold out. Don't get me wrong, here there are very good songs, but I guess that the formula is getting repetitive. In addition, I don't like too much "Rainbow Eyes" (a cover from Rainbow), I guess that the original version (with RJ Dio on vocals) is unbeatable. And I don't like Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love", I think it doesn't fits with BN's baroque style. Maybe it's time for Ritchie to try a comeback with Rainbow or something. But we all know that Candice has put a spell on him!
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