JETHRO TULL
JETHRO TULL “Curious Ruminant”
By Dr. Abner Mality
When I heard TULL’s two “Rōkflute” albums from the last couple of years, it rekindled the old affection I’ve had for these venerable rockers, who have released some of the best classic rock albums of all time. So I was actually looking forward to their newest opus, “Curious Ruminant”. And it also gives me a bit of a pleasant break from the everpresent metal onslaught.
“Curious Ruminant” is TULL through and through, but not quite as rocky as the “Rōkflute” albums, which surprised me with some crunchy riffs and hot licks. This one is much more the pastoral side of Ian Anderson and his band, hearkening back to some of their classic “folk prog” albums of the 70’s. What amazes is the absolute tightness of all the players, who are in lockstep with each other in a way virtually no modern rock band can comprehend, much less emulate. One thing’s obvious and that is that Ian’s flute gets a heavy workout here. It is present in every song and usually front and center. Nobody can integrate classical flute into rock n roll the way Anderson can. It would be hard for me to pick out the best flute performance here. This has got to be one of the most flute-centric TULL albums ever.
Anderson’s breathy, quintessentially British voice is also in good form. The lyrics here don’t seem to have some of the darkness and anger that past albums had. They are relaxed musings on life’s little truths. Anderson’s stream of consciousness narration on “Interim Sleep” is pleasant to hear even if you don’t know what exactly he’s talking about. As good as Ian is here...and his performance is phenomenal for a man at his age…, it’s matched by the other JETHRO TULL players, especially new guitarist Jack Clark, who is almost in the caliber of departed Martin Barre, which is strong praise. Although “Curious Ruminant” is not as guitar heavy as other TULL albums, when Jack does solo, it is perfectly played and placed and gives a good electric kick to an otherwise laidback album. Kudos, also, to keyboardist John O’Hara, whose piano often forms the backbone of a song.
Although the album has a “gentle” sound to it, it doesn’t lack energy, which can be heard on peppy rockers like “Puppet and the Puppet Master” and “The Tipu House”. Songs like the title track and “Beyond Jerusalem” often start soft, but end up more upbeat. One track where the band went kind of overboard is the 15 minute plus “Drink From The Same Well”. It’s well played but just too long, in the style of many overwrought prog epics of the early 70’s.
Listening to masters like JETHRO TULL at work is like watching a master painter putting together a picture. No, this isn’t metal or even hard rock, but it retains its ability to impress with classic rock styling that sadly is reaching the end of the road. I’m glad I heard it.