WALK INTO LIGHT

I must say I approached this CD with great fear. I had already a bad experience with one Jethro Tull album of the period (Under Warps) and I was thinking this was more of the same. Well, in a way it is, but I should also point out that this is NOT a JT record, so I guess Ian Anderson had the right to do some experimentation as long as he did not use the name of his famous band to try to boost sales and fool the fans. Another point that caught my attention was the fact that half of the songs are written with the help of JT´s keyboards man at the time, Peter-John Vetesse. Anderson really wanted to do something different! And Vetesse had the honour of being so far the man who wrote more songs with Anderson than any other JY member over the years.

For the album itself: as one might expected, this is basic an electronic record, with lots of synths and drum machines. However, it is interesting to see that it is also, in terms of sounds and songwriting, a much better effort than Under Wraps. Ian is quite inspired here, and Vetesse did a great job in the programming and playing, with intelligent use of technology and great variety. I really would love if most 80´s electronic experiments done by so many other musicians turned out to be as good as this one. Ok, this is not as good as anything that Anderson has done with his band in the 70´s, but is still very good anyway. The production is also top notch.

Although some stuff here does seem a little dated (how could it not with those synths and e-drums?), all the songs are good. Ian really let his new partner give something new and he didn´t interfere much, just singing, playing the occasional flute and little else. The results are way better than I expected and the selection here has all the trademarks of Anderson´s music (fine melodies, clever lyrics and strong interpretations). If you don´t mind the obvious 80´s cliches, this is a very good album.

Highlights: Flight By Night, Walk Into Light, Different Germany and User-Friendly.

Final rating:3,5 stars.