Reviews roundup – Blackmore’s Night vs. Bobby Kimball vs. Martin Simpson vs. Blackwater Horizon

Reviews roundup – Blackmore’s Night vs. Bobby Kimball vs. Martin Simpson vs. Blackwater Horizon

BLACKMORE’S NIGHT
To The Moon And Back
Minstrel Hall

It’s twenty long years since the first Blackmore’s Night album came out. It’s been a bit of a slog for some of us Blackmore since then as the laws of diminishing return have applied across ten studio albums, three live albums and one previous compilation. But now, off the back of his return to rock, it’s time for an all encompassing two disc best of. And to be fair if you’ve avoided the hey nonny no till now then is probably all you’ll ever need.

The bad news first. It’s a very poorly presented package. When I got a double best of the very least I expect are some decent liner notes and I certainly want credits listed. But there is none of that nonsense here, merely a brief note from Candice Night and Ritchie Blackmore. But to hell with who did what and why.

On the first disc you get a bakers dozen of their best tunes along with a nine minute live version of ‘Home Again’. Over on the second disc there is a host of unreleased numbers, 2 bonus tracks, 5 instrumentals and, rather cheekilly a CD version of the digital only single by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, ‘Land Of Hope And Glory’. Which is bad news for Rainbow completists. As is the new cover of ‘I Surrender, with Candice on vocals. Blackmore’s Night fans will lap it up and fans of Blackmore who’ve avoided this till now won’t need any more. Decent but not great.

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BOBBY KIMBALL
We’re Not In Kansas Anymore
Purple Pyramid

Bobby Kimball is the bloke who sang on all the Toto songs you know off the radio. He was with them during their chart years from 1978-1984, briefly touring with them again in the late nineties. But considering the pedigree of his voice he’s struggled outside the mothership with his only high profile gigs being the Yes / Toto crossover Yoso and a joint album with the late Survivor vocalist Jimi Jamison.

This is actually his third solo album although not many people have copies of “Rise Up” from 1994 or the follow up “All I Ever Needed”. But now he’s back and hes’s not taking the easy road out as this is neither an out and out AOR album or even pure West Coast. Instead it’s more of a pop / r’nb’ hybrid. The kind of thing Michael McDonald was doing back in the eighties.

The odd Toto-esque ballad sneaks in, with ‘One Day’ a real highlight but elsewhere there is a punchy brass section on tunes like ‘Some They Do’. It makes for an enjoyable listening experience with Kimball still in fine voice. Just don’t come here if you’re looking for an update on “Rosanna”, “Africa” or “I Won’t Hold You Back”. It’s a very different beast.

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MARTIN SIMPSON
Trails & Tribulations
Topic

Martin Simpson is rightly acclaimed for his guitar skills honed over the last forty years. And this is his twentieth solo album. BUt he’s certainly not content to rest on his laurels, something that would be easy to do.

For sure there is still a lot of picking which will make guitarists of a certain ilk very moist indeed as he plays acoustic guitars, resonator guitars, Weissenbown lap steel guitar, electric guitars, 5 string banjo and ukulele. But there is showboating and then there is a good record. And this is very much the latter.

As the title suggests this is an introspective release which seems to be looking back at his life. Not something I’m overly keen on as that level of continual failure doesn’t make for happy memories. But Simpson seems to have taken the rough with the smooth and carried on. Of course it helps if you have a talent and a passion and both are ably demonstrated here. It’s a mixture of trad arr, covers and originals which hang together in fine fashion. Right from the opening ‘Blues Run the Game’ on through the less well visited songs and poems set to music, Simpson makes a good case for confirming his position as one of this countrys great folkies.

It’s also available as a double album with six bonus tracks.

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BLACKWATER HORIZON
Bad John
independent

To Germany now for some Southern rock. Yes, that’s right. To be fair Germany has always been a bit of a Southern rock stronghold which is why the likes of Molly Hatchet managed to sustain a career long after the rest of the world stopped caring.

And on this six track mini album Blackwater Horizon show that they are very much on the Molly Hatchet as opposed to Lynyrd Skynyrd side of the fence. So there influences are coming from the hard rock and metal world rather than the blues and country.

But they’re good at it and song like ‘Live & Die’ and ‘She’s the One’ are good enough to make people of a certain vintage (me) alternate between happy and shedding tears for a life gone to wreck and ruin. So if you’re the kind of person who holds the late Danny Joe Browns sole solo album close to your chest then give this a go.

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