Michael KeelRitchie Blackmore has a holiday gift for you.
The former Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist is reissuing Winter Carols, an album of holiday music from Blackmore’s Night, his long-running project with singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Candice Night.
Released in celebration of Blackmore’s Night’s 2oth anniversary, the reissue will be available on digital formats this Friday and on CD October 13. It includes brand-new recordings of “Deck The Halls,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Oh Christmas Tree,” with special arrangements by Blackmore.
Blackmore describes the Renaissance-inspired approach employed by himself and Night as “fantasy music for all ages.”
He explains, “The origin of the word ‘carol’ means ‘dance.’ I am naturally attracted to these melodies. As a kid, I would go from house to house during the holiday time and sing them just to earn some money. As an adult, I thought I could play them and make more money!”
Striking a slightly less commercial tone, Night says, “We are entranced by the magic of the (holiday) season. The sentiments of the holidays are what we try to express in our music year round — so this CD is a natural progression. All the music we craft and create has always been about love, unity and friendship. These songs as a whole are beautiful unifying carols…Everyone can join in.”
For more information, visit the group’s website.
Here’s the track listing for Winter Carols:
“Deck the Halls”
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
“Oh Christmas Tree”
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Come All Ye Faithful”
“I Saw Three Ships”
“Winter (Basse Dance)”
“Ding Dong Merrily on High”
“Ma-O-Tzur”
“Good King Wenceslas”
“Lord of the Dance/Simple Gifts”
“We Three Kings”
“Wish You Were Here”
“Emmanuel”
“Christmas Eve”
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
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