CURIOUS RUMINANT

This is an edited and adapted version of my review which appears on DPRP. Net https://www.dprp.net/reviews/2025/011#jethro-tull

In Jethro Tull's latest album, septuagenarian Ian Anderson ruminates, reflects, and ponders over a wide range of issues, including, the purpose of life, revenge/ betrayal, environmental concerns, and death and reconciliation.

The overall style and mood of the album is vastly different from the bands previous album RökFlöte. Gone are the chug- guitar, head beating rhythms that dominated the leather-stained rock tunes like, Wolf Unchained and The Navigators. Instead, Curious Ruminant offers an altogether much more, intricate, and intimate approach. It is melodically rich and the compositions are beautifully constructed.

Flute, accordion, and various acoustic instruments are often to the fore. A range of outstanding electric guitar parts performed by Jack Clark add a swathe of bold intense colours when the need arises. This results in an album that is truly delightful on many different levels.

Curious Ruminant is an album that has many different layers and offers a variety of shades. It rewards repeated listens.

Clever diversions of pace and subtle melodic changes abound. Choruses are used to good effect, but these are never, hackneyed or one dimensional. A thoughtful twist in the lyrics, or a measured change of emphasis, , always keeps things interesting. This, attention to detail, frequently creates a set of tunes which are catchy and easy on the ear. Satisfyingly, the arrangements display a impressive range of complexity.

The thoughtful ordering of the pieces, ensures that the album goes from strength to strength, as it progresses towards a thought-provoking spoken word conclusion in the atmospheric Interim Sleep.

Compositions such as the magnificent Drink From The Same Well, and the beautifully crafted Savannah of Paddington Green can certainly be judged alongside some of Anderson's most persuasive works.

There is great artistic maturity to much of the songwriting on the album; the supportive instrumentation and excellent production values are equally engaging. A sense of space pervades the music. The lyrics and chosen instruments complement each other, and have a distinctive place in the mix. Satisfyingly, nothing seems cluttered lyrically, or musically, apart from a few aspects of the textured instrumentation of the fast-paced The Tipu House.

A fine example of Anderson's talents as a songsmith can be observed in the compelling melodies of Stygian Hand. In this piece, Anderson calls upon many of the nuances, stylistic traits and ploys that have become synonymous with his most rewarding compositions over the years. Stylistically, it sits somewhere within the foot tapping, morphing patterns of something that could have featured in Anderson's SLOB release. If that was not enough to make some Tull and Anderson aficionados curl their toes in delight, Stygian Hand is also textured with hints and tints of the sort of riffs that made Heavy Horses' Acres Wild so engaging.

The band sound cohesive and their empathetic contribution throughout the whole release is excellent. Their tasteful embellishments in Stygian Hand, coupled with Anderson's deft yet insistent mandolin lines, perfectly convey the atmospheric message of the tune. Anderson's stridently disconcerting and disturbing execution of the imposing line, "Crash! The Stygian hand, against my brow", adds to the overall impact of the piece. Indeed, Anderson's time ruffled voice; full of expression and aged gravitas works well in almost all the tracks of the album.

Over Jerusalem contains several different moods and has several distinctive melodic hooks. Overall, it is a fascinating piece. It begins with an acoustic passage and an astute lyric. The change of emphasis as Anderson emotes "Rocks upon rocks, ashes on ashes", is truly brilliant and must rank as one of Anderson's most beautiful transition points within a song. The delightful and gentle acoustic sections ensure, that when upbeat electric passages occur, they hit hard. Consequently, they have a stunning impact.

Drink From The Same Well is the perfect offspring of Divinities and SLOB. It arguably takes the best ingredients from both releases to create a sumptuous feast for the senses. Without a doubt, it is the most satisfying tune on the album. Certainly, it is a showcase, for what might be, Anderson's best recorded performance on the flute. It's lengthy duration provides lots of scope for a variety of musical themes to be explored. It also enables the piece to move through a series of distinctive phases or movements.

The tune begins with an enchanting and beguiling flute motif. This darts, wafts, and cascades from speaker to speaker, to drench and clasp the room in a gently spiralling ear caressing melody. The double tracking and call and responding of a variety of flutes including the transcendent and ethereal tones of a bamboo flute, is one of the standout features of several phases of the piece. The accordion has a significant role. It is skillfully used to link sections of the composition together and to herald changes of pace, rhythm, and direction.

The sung parts of the tune are enticing, and I was reminded at different junctures of the smile inducing melodies of Panama Freighter and the knee-tap, jiggle-toe structure of the Habanero Reel. The piece uses a variety of clever choruses, with noticeable hooks and recurring lyrics. The overall effect is gripping, mesmerising and utterly enchanting. These earworm elements burrow and anchor themselves; to be hummed and mouthed long after the album has ended.

Every aspect of Drink From the Same Well works superbly, and it is a fine addition to Ian Anderson's catalogue of outstanding tunes.

Mention must be made of the high quality of Anderson's flute playing throughout the release. His tonal control is excellent. His ability to shape and bend notes really shines through. Overall, it's a flautist master class.

If Curious Ruminant should prove to be Jethro Tull, or Ian Anderson's final recorded work, then it is safe to say that this excellent album has enhanced and enriched that musical legacy.

1. Puppet and the Puppet Master and 2. Curious Ruminant are worth it for the worked intro and the wonderful guitar solo by Jack, the rest being a stamped sound that is slow to take off, probably due to Ian's weakening voice, let's not criticize his age; songs whose atmosphere will be repeated on many songs. 3. Dunsinane Hill does not make Louisiana song but rather a country folk song with the phrasing and the flute. To say that the group was elected hard band, I still can't believe it, folk yes but no swear words by putting them in hard. 4. The Tipu House for the timeless sound, good and redundant, I feel like I'm in the tavern; folk yes, a beer yes too. 5. Savannah of Paddington Green is worth it for the part left to John's accordion, otherwise it's signed, engraved, tattooed JETRO TULL without a doubt.

6. Stygian Hand agreed, lacking especially the prog spark even if it's folk above all 7. Over Jerusalem longer and which takes off with the guitar solo break, yes I insist that's where this prog blood becomes visible again, Ian follows him before going back to the solo, phew I'm reconciled 8. Drink from the Same Well surprises me; in short when I come across this last one with a 16-minute piece I say to myself it's good they have surely found the prog folk energy again. Beautiful orchestral intro, the flute is featured, but there is a but; why this obvious lack of progression, why such drawers without a direct link with each other? the melodies follow one another, folk terrain then soaring new age with the synth in the background. 3 moments that bring you halfway through to have Ian's voice, equal to itself, making this title fit into the ranks unfortunately, the tune seems very redundant with other titles already listened to; the flute in break takes up the Celtic air certifying the lack of progressive I would write. 5th beat and the accordion enters the scene in bourré auvergnate, scottish song, it's up to you to see. A good moment that even goes on OLDFIELD atmospheres in this melancholic and finally melodically progressive finale, ah I had to find my way there 9. Interim Sleep for the final title, phrased vocal, Irish flute, acoustic, cinematic title of a Lord of the Rings in gestation?

JETHRO TULL a musical bridge that makes people talk for the contribution to prog; take it as folk or just JETHRO TULL in fact? Not at all, easy-going folk rock, not bad but nothing more. Either I am truly impervious to this group or the prog blood has irremediably dried up.(2.5)

Indie folk is pretty co?Wait no this is prog folk. Uhhh prog folk is also pretty cool too, especially Jethro Tull. I was a bit surprised they made a comeback in 2022, and remain even after. Though I will say the past two albums of The Zealot Gene and RökFlöte were pretty much just ok, but I was pleasantly surprised with this year's release of Curious Ruminant.

I think the main draw the album has in comparison to the decade's formers happens to be with how the album feels kind of like a classic Jethro Tull album, with a mix of a more modern prog style. You get quite a few flavors of that classic Jethro Tull spin, namely in aspects such as the folksy melodies of Stand Up, the progressiveness of Minstrel in the Gallery, and the harder rock edges that arose in Heavy Horses. I think it all ends up working in the band's favor quite a lot, and makes for some very enjoyable prog folk jams.

I also quite like Ian Anderson's vocals here. Sure he might've not aged his voice the most gracefully, and he certainly doesn't have the same grit and highs as his past, but the more calmer vocals does create a great contrast to the music, and ends up sounding quite good.

Though, there is certainly some age to be found here. While the album does pull quite a bit from the classic 60s-70s sound of Jethro Tull, I did notice sometimes the album will draw from the late 80s-90s sounds as well, and sometimes that can be a bit hit or miss for me. Now I don't mind the later Jethro Tull sounds before their hiatus, in fact I am quite a fan of Roots to Branches and a bit of a J-Tull Dot Com defender, but other times the album sounds a bit like Rock Island and Catfish Rising, which aren't necessarily BAD albums, but they aren't the best you'll get out of the good ol' Tull well.

Plus, the last two tracks on this album, while pretty good, feel a bit stark from the rest of the album to their discredit. I think Drink From the Same Well is a pretty good prog epic all things considered, but it sounds just a bit too different from the rest of the album, and in fact in comparison to all the other epics that Jethro Tull made it arguably is a pretty weak one with it scrapping nearly most of the harder edged rock elements in favor of more folk; a bit too much folk for Jethro Tull standards if you ask me. Obviously I wasn't expecting the next Thick As A Brick here, but I feel like it could've been a bit more, y'know?

Interim Sleep though is more just an alright track, and for a finale it works quite well, but there is still quite a level of contrast between it and the rest of the album, creating something that is a bit less than favorable for the album as a whole.

Curious Ruminant is a curious case of a band sticking to their guns and making just really good rock music. While it does have a few bumps here and there, overall Curious Ruminant is a fairly fun album that, if it was made in a much older landscape, could've become a Jethro Tull classic next to Songs From the Wood or A Passion Play.

Best tracks: Puppet and the Puppet Master, Curious Ruminant, Stygian Hand

Worst tracks: Drink From the Same Well, Interim Sleep

The latest release of Ian Anderson's Jethro Tull is the twenty-fourth studio album from the collective, titled 'Curious Ruminant', released in March of 2025 through Inside Out Music, compiled of nine new compositions recorded throughout the last fifteen years or so, and finally recorded as complete pieces making up the band's arguably the band's most introspective and philosophically-acute album, featuring the regular that currently goes under the Tull name, together with contributions from past members James Duncan (drums) and Andrew Giddings (keyboards, piano, accordion), having previously joined the band in the early 1990s. 'Curious Ruminant' zealously continues the band's contemporary style of forging a successful homage to their classic sound, this time with a much greater prevalence of folksy arrangements, aided by the heavy use of the flute and the accordion, which almost makes this album similar to the famed "prog-folk trilogy" of the late 70s.

From all three recent additions to the discography of Jethro Tull, this 2025 offering might as well be the most consistent and successful one, speaking of the overall impression left off by the album, the flow and the architecture of the work as well as the quality of the music and the engagement of the listener with the compositions. Beautifully complex and quirky, at times really folklore-ish and playful, this album has some truly solid numbers, which shall be a fine treat for dedicated fans, like the title track, 'Stygian Hand', 'Over Jerusalem', and the 17-minute-long epic 'Drink from the Same Well' (a piece necessarily evoking the grandiose 'Baker St. Muse' from 1975), containing some delightful instrumental sections in its first half. Yet going back to the age-old dispute of what is progressive nowadays, 'Curious Ruminant' probably hardly qualifies as such, since this album barely diverges from the musical musings already established on the two preceding releases. Nevertheless, this album will make Tull fans happy and while it is nothing groundbreaking, it is a good, well-curated and well-performed recording by a legendary classic band.

Oh boy! Jethro Tull is back with a new album. I gave their last two releases middling-to-lukewarm coverage, so I didn't exactly have very high hopes for Curious Ruminant. Overall, though, I was pleasantly surprised. They leaned hard into folk music, and the album is mostly a success. It's not going to be a contender for my album of the year, but if you're looking for some decent, proggy folk rock, this is a good choice.

Curious Ruminant starts with "Puppet and the Puppet Master". Its opening passage is peppy and folky, with ample acoustic guitar and accordion. This is better than most of the band's recent output, and it strongly calls to mind Tull's output in the mid-to-late 1990s. Anderson's sing-talking isn't great, but with the state of his voice, this is really the best he can do.

The title track comes next, and it slows things down. There's a steady, crunching guitar line, and Anderson's flute playing is great. The band does a good job at keeping things tense, and this is more reminiscent of something off Broadsword and the Beast. I also like that the band's new guitarist has more character to his playing than the last one. He's still no Martin Barre, but it's an improvement. Despite everything positive I have to say about this song, it doesn't need to be six minutes long. Four-and-a-half would have been fine.

"Dunsinane Hill" returns to a folkier sound palette, with flute and accordion taking the lead in its opening. It is, however, also a step down from the prior two songs. Its glacial pace and unsubtle sing-talking makes me think of certain Roger Waters-penned songs. In its second half, the instrumental backing gets a bit more interesting, but this still isn't my favorite cut on the album.

The band returns to their '90s sound on "The Tipu House". It's a fun, high-energy cut, and I especially like the dark and swirling chorus. In contrast, "Savannah of Paddington Green" is a slow, sweet acoustic song. It's not bad, but it doesn't do much to stand out. Ian Anderson has written a lot of songs that sound like this one.

"Stygian Hand" sticks with the overall sound of the preceding cut, but it's got a lot more pep in its step. Mandolin, accordion, and flute give this cut a strangely pirate-y vibe, but it's not goofy. It's just got that "vaguely old-timey British nautical" feel to it, if that makes sense. However, it probably could have been trimmed down by about a minute.

The mood on "Over Jerusalem" is mellower and more whimsical. It's also a bit sappy, and the melody is somewhat awkward and unnatural. This isn't exactly Tull's strongest work.

"Drink from the Same Well" is the band's longest song since A Passion Play. (It clocks in two full seconds longer than "Baker St. Muse"!) The opening passage is a classical-influenced bit of piano, flute, and bass, and it's a pleasant instrumental moment. That introduction is followed by some bouncy folk flavors with the occasional bit of new age-y ambiance. It's pleasant enough, but some of this drags on for longer than it needs to; parts of this huge song can feel repetitious.

The instrumental first half of this song shifts abruptly to a verse. It's a bit wispy for my taste, but there are some good melodic ideas here. A bit more instrumental punch would have been nice, but Anderson's voice doesn't have the strength necessary for that. He needs the backing to be relatively light, or at least deliberately-paced. 

The second half of this song is unnecessarily dragged-out. Its length could have easily been trimmed to about 10-12 minutes without losing much. It kills the momentum of the album up to this point, and much of it just left me bored.

The final song on the album is also its shortest, "Interim Sleep", a brief spoken-word piece.

Curious Ruminant is both the folkiest and the best of Tull's post-reunion output. They sound a bit more like a band, rather than an Ian Anderson solo project. Anderson's voice is still a major hurdle for the band to overcome. He's learned to work within his limitations, but it's still a limitation. Aside from the overlong "Drink from the Same Well", the songs here are mostly focused and generally enjoyable.

Review originally published here: theeliteextremophile.com/2025/03/10/album-review-jethro-tull-curious-ruminant/

Ian Anderson and his current assemblage as Jethro Tull are back with their 3rd album in the last 4 years, and this is the best of those three, as it has more elements reminiscent of the old Tull (more folk and rock elements, return of the acoustic guitar, etc.). It's a good listen, quite enjoyable. The instrumental sections, in particular, are quite good, with stellar flute work and a stronger guitar presence than other recent albums. However, it is still a far cry from classic Tull. Anderson's vocals have greatly deteriorated and are somewhat distracting (should do more instrumentals) and overall, the songs are just not as memorable. Thus, it's good, but not great, and not really something you will probably want to go back to again and again. Rating: 3.0