CATFISH RISING

CATFISH RISING followed ROCK ISLAND 2 years later and there is a sense of deja-vu when i listen to this album. It follows the same pattern started with CREST OF A KNAVE with some straight hard rock tunes mixed with some old classical sounding TULL songs. There are really no bad songs on this album, a few great ones but overall , a sense of sameness prevails at the end of this recording.

A lot of comparisons have been made with DIRE STRAITS since CREST OF A KNAVE but it's very evident on CATFISH. I don't know if this was intentional but the moody songs carry a lot of DIRE STRAITS resemblances, first with the vocal delivery of IAN ANDERSON, noticeable on songs like ROCKS ON THE ROAD or WHITE INNOCENCE.

This is an album with diverse musical sounds going from Blues-rock to straight rocker like the ''hit'' THIS IS NOT LOVE'' or the not so remarkable DOCTOR TO MY DISEASE reminding me of the beginning of ROCK ISLAND to beautiful ballads such as STILL LOVING YOU TONIGHT- my fave on this album with its great guitar melodic lines. The acoustic traditional Tull sound is present as well on THINKING ROUND CORNERS which sounds like coming from the SONG FROM THE WOODS sessions or LIKE A TALL THIN GIRL with mandolin and all that stuff.

WHITE INNOCENCE drags a little bit too long and sounds definitelly too much DIRE STRAITS for my taste. SLEEPING WITH THE DOG brings you back to....TIME WAS from 1968, a real blues once again sung , sadly,with the MARK KNOPFLER tone. The album ends up with 2 OK songs GOLD TIPPED BOOTS and WHEN JESUS CAME TO PLAY, nothing great sure not to make any JT future best-of. Once again, that's not bad but lack any originality.

I am glad and relieved when this album ends because even if the musical aspects of the music come from different horizons, the IAN ANDERSON vocal deliveries on those songs makes you feel you are listening to the same melody (or lack of) all the way to the end. The band is good as usual, Dave PEGG is now the longest standing bassist in the band. Jethro TULL even becomes a family business as his son MATT PEGG takes over his father on some songs.

CATFISH RISING is not a bad album, but neither a must-have for a JETHRO TULL fan. This is a good album, but drowned by too much monotony throughout it to make it great!. 2.5 stars to......

3 STARS

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