Blackmore's Night [2003] Ghost Of A Rose

[01] Way To Mandalay
[02] 3 Black Crows
[03] Diamonds And Rust
[04] Cartouche
[05] Queen For A Day (Part 1)
[06] Queen For A Day (Part 2)
[07] Ivory Tower
[08] Nur Eine Minute
[09] Ghost Of A Rose
[10] Mr. Peagram's Morris And Sword
[11] Loreley
[12] Where Are We Going From Here
[13] Rainbow Blues
[14] All For One
[15] Dandelion Wine



amg: 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 some kind of Medieval folkie. The fifth outing by Blackmore's Night is another tepid yet overwrought bag of originals, and a wretched cover of Joan Baez's classic "Diamonds and Rust." The issue here is not whether Mr. 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 Ms. Night's completely rounded vocals, leave all of the dark passions they seek to reveal embedded in the songs themselves, like lovers in a cage, stranded. One listen to the early Steeleye Span recordings, or the Watersons "Frost and Fire,"" reveals in spades just how threadbare and empty of life this record is.
(amg 4/10)

Bryan Adams [1995] Live! Live! Live!

[01] She's Only Happy When She's Dancin'
[02] It's Only Love
[03] Cuts Like A Knife
[04] Kids Wanna Rock
[05] Hearts On Fire
[06] Take Me Back
[07] The Best Was Yet To Come
[08] Heaven
[09] Heat Of The Night
[10] Run To You
[11] One Night Love Affair
[12] Long Gone
[13] Summer Of '69
[14] Somebody
[15] Walking After Midnight
[16] I Fought The Law
[17] Into The Fire



amg: Bryan Adams's Live! Live! Live! is a straightforward live album, featuring his greatest hits replicated in concert. Adams' support band is professional and he is in fine voice, but the record doesn't offer any new interpretations of the hits, nor does it have much energy. Consequently, it isn't necessary for anyone but the most dedicated fans.
(amg 4/10)

Boston [1994] Walk On

[01] I Need Your Love
[02] Surrender To Me
[03] Livin' For You
[04] Walkin' At Night
[05] Walk On
[06] Get Organ-ized
[07] Walk On (Some More)
[08] What's Your Name
[09] Magdalene
[10] We Can Make It



amg: Boston's long-awaited fourth album, Walk On, which this time took Tom Scholz a full seven years to complete, failed to capture the attention of most AOR fans and became the group's first record to not spawn a hit single. Perhaps the reason was AOR and classic rock stations began losing their audiences in 1992; more likely, it was because Scholz's legendary perfectionism didn't yield the same results it did in the past. Although the production is certainly state of the art and is overflowing with detail, there aren't any memorable songs or hooks to justify such extravagance. On the surface, the record sounds fine, but there is no substance beneath the layers of gloss.
(amg 4/10)

Big Country [1986] The Seer

[01] Look Away
[02] The Seer
[03] The Teacher
[04] I Walk The Hill
[05] Eiledon
[06] One Great Thing
[07] Hold The Heart
[08] Remembrance Day
[09] Red Fox
[10] Sailor



amg: The third proper album by Scottish quartet Big Country kicks off with the stellar "Look Away," a rocking outlaw tale with very cool guitar work from Bruce Watson and lead singer Stuart Adamson. However, the simple, anthemic choruses and effects-laden guitars are beginning to wear a little thin four years after the band's promising breakthrough. Big Country does little to expand on their sound or lyrical themes and The Seer is somewhat disappointing. There are a few solid tracks like the moody title song (with Kate Bush lending vocals) and the stirring "Eiledon," but the band had done these songs better. It managed to chart three singles in the U.K., with "Look Away" going Top Ten, but the American audience had dwindled to hard-core fans. It's the hardcore fans that The Seer is most likely to be of interest to.
(amg 4/10)