Ritchie Blackmore has been known worldwide for his guitar shredding in Deep Purple and Rainbow. He has also shown hints of his penchant for medieval music in both of those bands. That 18th and 19th Century love, though, has only truly come to the fore within the acoustic context of his “renaissance rock” project, Blackmore’s Night. Together, with award-winning vocalist / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Candice Night, (often compared to Stevie Nicks and Karen Carpenter), Blackmore’s Night is currently celebrating the band's 20th Anniversary.

Passionate about the musical melodies and styles of the past, combined with their love for the spirit of the holiday season, they recorded Winter Carols to share with their fans, friends and Blackmore's Night families. Winter Carols is holiday music at its best, performed and sung as it was hundreds of years ago, when the peasants and royalty alike shared the jovial spirit of the holidays. For this very special re-release of their holiday album (out on digital formats on September 22nd, on CD October 13th), Blackmore’s Night included three brand new recordings of “Deck The Halls”, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, and “Oh Christmas Tree”. Each song, arranged by Ritchie Blackmore, is lovingly filtered through the Blackmore’s Night prism, given an eclectic Renaissance touch topped with Candice Night’s ethereal vocals.

It’s this love of Renaissance-based and classical melodies that endears Blackmore’s Night to hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide. Their unique genre is classified as "fantasy music for all ages."

“The holiday season has always embodied joy, love, peace and togetherness,” says Candice. “We are entranced by the magic of the 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. Feel the warmth of friendship! Everyone can join in.”

“The origin of the word ‘carol’ means ‘dance’,’” adds Ritchie. “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!”

Tracklisting:

"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 Wencesla"
"Lord Of The Dance / Simple Gifts"
"We Three Kings"
"Wish You Were Here"
"Emmanuel"
"Christmas Eve"
"We Wish You A Merry Christmas"