THE JETHRO TULL CHRISTMAS ALBUM

A nice comeback. We get the 90's Tull wrap with soft tones, especially on the re-working of older tunes, (Bouree, Jack Frost, etc.). Ian's voice is still not what it use to be, but his warmth is welcome on a Winter's day/night with a nice fire crackling, (the fact that I'm writing this towards the beginning of Summer does feel strange). Barre's guitar is notched down a peg or two, but Ian's flute is dominate as usual. Giddings has some nice keyboards, especially on the re-working of Bouree, yet as a whole, the band seems to be restrained a tad. There's no umph at all, except in the opening track. The traditional Christmas songs have a jazzy feel to them and it's welcome, but again it's on the soft side. Can't say that this is an album you'd want to listen to over and over, but it's a nice play around the holidays. It doesn't come close to being a classic, or even excellent, but it's good enough for a spin just to get you in a good mood, especially if it's hot and humid and you need a reminder of whats coming down the road....