In 1995, a sad day came upon us: the release of legendary guitar master Ritchie Blackmore's final rock album Stranger in Us All; done under the Rainbow moniker. Blackmore had become fed up with his former band Deep Purple (and rock music in general) and left them two years prior. He wanted to do a solo album just under his name, but pressure from his label made him do it under the name Rainbow. For this record Blackmore put together an entirely new line-up - having no one who had ever played with him before in the group. The most notable musician naturally was Scottish vocalist Doogie White.
You can sort of hear Blackmore's waning enthusiasm for rock/metal, but he and his band still churned out one hell of a performance for Stranger in Us All. You can tell that in some ways Blackmore went back to his hard rock roots to a certain extent, but it still had a great deal of that glossy overtone that many of his post-Dio albums had in the 80's when he was trying to make the band a big commercial success. To be honest it's kind of an odd mash-up of styles, but in a way it kind of encompasses many different parts of Blackmore's career sound-wise. In other ways, you can hear the beginnings of Blackmore's next/current project Blackmore's Night - the renaissance music group he formed with his wife vocalist Candice Night (especially in tunes like Ariel where she sings back-up).
Wolf to the Moon is one of my absolute favorite tracks on Stranger in Us All and quite frankly is one hell of a way to kick off an album. That driving riff at the intro tells you right from the get-go that you're in for a wild ride. The rest of the song with its carefree atmosphere and rebellious lyrics make you feel like you're just out tearing it up on the highway on a motorcycle; not giving a single care in the world and just living from stop to stop. It also has some of Blackmore's most signature solos and riffs on the whole album here. It feels the most like a classic Blackmore song.
Personally, I cannot say enough good things about the redone version of The Yardbirds's Still I'm Sad. This was a tune that ended the very first Rainbow album, so in a way it's kind of appropriate that it be the song that ends the final one. As it began, so too shall it end. You know? This version unlike the previous has vocals and has a more definite song structure, rather than it being a bit more of a funky open jam for Blackmore to just solo all over. White gives an insanely powerful and chilling vocal performance on this one. I can't praise him enough.
If you're more of a fan of Blackmore for his rock style playing, then this is definitely a record for you. It's kind of a nice way for him to say goodbye to his fans of multiple decades before going off to make faerie music for the rest of his days (aside from the three rock shows he did this past summer for shits and giggles). Even when Blackmore is somewhat phoning it in he still puts on one hell of a good show and can write a rocking tune. It's also a great record for those who are fans of Blackmore's Night to start getting a taste of what in my opinion REAL Ritchie Blackmore music sounds like. Regardless, Stranger in Us All is a solid album.
Stranger in Us All, by Rainbow receives 3.75 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Wolf to the Moon
2. Cold Hearted Woman
3. Hunting Humans (Insatiable)
4. Stand and Fight
5. Ariel
6. Too Late for Tears
7. Black Masquerade
8. Silence
9. Hall of the Mountain King
10. Still I'm Sad
Buy the album on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-All-RITCHIE-BLACKMOREs-RAINBOW/dp/B000024J76/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477636378&sr=8-1&keywords=Rainbow+Stranger+in+Us+All
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