After the debut of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow had been issued, the time began for Ritchie to truly express himself the way he saw fit, having freedom as a solo artist per se, and Rising is truly a definitive statement and my favorite Rainbow disc overall. Even though the track list is short and clocks in a little over a half-hour's worth of recording time, the songs and performances are nothing short of an extraordinary and compelling feature. After sacking what was left of Ronnie James Dio's former group Elf, once the debut album had been finished and released, Blackmore set about recruiting some major players and his choices of Cozy Powell(drums), Tony Carey(keys) and Jimmy Bain(bass) are inspired and wise as everyone involved in this recording is their own virtuoso within their respective instrument roles, but also blend  well as a proper working band.

​

Stargazer is one of the best tracks Blackmore and co. have ever done, in my opinion and it also provided a space for the musicians to translate this number live with long improvisations within the shows that were done during this time period. Tarot Woman opens the disc on a powerful note and it sets the tone correctly for the record with Dio's ethereal-like lyrics of mystery and magic. Run with the Wolf follows and is a mid-paced rocker which is propelled by the powerful kit playing of Powell and the cutting rhythms of Blackmore's melody along with the solid backing of Bain's bass lines. Dio's voice is such a presence to behold within this record and it's no wonder he would soon rise to prominence as a solo artist with great success in the mid-80's. Starstruck recalls a bit of the grooving, rockier sides of Blackmore's former group, Deep Purple, and is an entertaining number which fills out the record and gives a lighter balance musically, despite the lyrics describing the obsessions of a groupie, its quite a groover, nonetheless.

​

Do You Close Your Eyes is also another chugging rip-roaring rocker that would also be stretched out for Blackmore to show off his prodigious guitar skills in the live performances and along with Starstruck, it provides a little more upbeat feel within the confines of the album. A Light in the Black, which follows Stargazer and is the record's closing number, is another longer track that further displays the power of the ensemble and shows off band dynamics and interaction to a profound degree. With each successive release, band members would come and go, frequently, and it would alter sometimes the sounds of the records that were released, but for a musician like Blackmore, variety is the spice of life; and that statement alone describes the prolific genius of the man as he could hire players of enormous talent with famed pedigrees such as Cozy Powell, while also hiring virtual unknowns such as Ronnie James Dio and later,  would rise to success of their own accord because of the Blackmore association. Rising is an absolute result of this factor. 

 

Rating Grade- A