by Geoff Bailie
Like many prog bands who formed in the late 1960s, Jethro Tull’s early years involved a new album release every single year. That pace slowed in the 1980s, and with J-Tull Dot Come in 1999, the band (name) went to hiatus. Ian Anderson however kept making music, and this brought us Thick As A Brick II and Homo Erraticus, both excellent albums which it’s hard not to think of as Tull albums, such is the imprint of Anderson’s DNA.
The continuation of that trajectory has been what is now three Jethro Tull albums in quick succession from January 2022’s The Zealot Gene, April 2023’s RokFlote and now in March 2025, Curious Ruminant – that’s a pace of output that even few younger peers are able to match… and reminiscent of a 1970s release schedule.
The stable JT core band members, David Goodier, John O’Hara, and Scott Hammond are joined by new guitarist Jack Clark, with contributions from previous members Andrew Gidding and James Duncan (the boss’s son making an appearance on drums). While the last two albums had specific thematic cores in Biblical references and Norse legends, this one is packed with Anderson’s ruminations on manipulation, contemplation, change, and bereavement, with the clever and thought-provoking lyrical approach that’s unchanged over the decades. Musically the album is similar in tone to the previous two, not overproduced, with lots of space when needed. While the overall tone is quite mellow, there are many “gut punch” moments either in song or in words.
“Puppet and the Puppet Master” kicks the album off with a speedy rock beat, acoustic guitars and the rasp of trademark flute – Anderson’s dexterity with this instrument still superb. We also get some trading off between Jack Clark’s guitar, the flute and a Hammond organ. Dig into the lyrics and I’m hearing a reflection on the role of the stage performer as both a puppet and a puppet master – as a minstrel of many years experience, Anderson will, of course, know all of the techniques to engage his audience.. and yet he’s the one dancing to their tune – perhaps a reflection on the role of a “heritage act” where the audience will demand certain songs and behaviors from the band. If that all sounds heavy, don’t worry – you can easily get lost in the jaunty melody … but there’s also lots there if you want to dig deeper! The piano led “title track” is next – it’s a song that couldn’t be anyone but Tull, so distinctive is its sound. This one is a song about curiosity, and those who think about the big questions in life… but ultimately end up changing their mind on a regular basis or indeed sit on the fence. Neither is criticised and you get the feeling that Anderson is reflecting his own personality in this lyric more than he would when, say, he’s wrapped in a character. Yet another shout for some great guitar work on this one.
In “Dunsinane Hill,” it seems that Anderson’s Scottish roots lead him to “The Scottish Play,” mixing elements of Macbeth with the equally murderous world of politics. More great flute playing on this one and in fact the track could also work well as an instrumental as Anderson’s vocal is part-recitation. The recent trilogy of albums has seen Ian settle into a comfortable vocal style, part spoken, part sung which suits his timbre at this point in life. The roar, sneer and snigger of past Tull tracks wouldn’t necessarily fit what he writes today, and yet with the voice and the flute you’re never in any doubt who you’re listening to!
“The Tipu House” is a folksier track, followed by “Savannah of Paddington Green” which returns to themes of climate change which certainly has been a familiar subject since the days of Stormwatch. “Over Jerusalem” starts with a bouncing Celtic folk theme and has a brilliant instrumental mid-section which overall gives it an epic feel. But when it comes to epics, well the prog fans ears prick up when they see a song that lasts longer than 15 minutes. So “Drink From The Same Well,” arguably the second longest track in the Tull canon if you treat Thick As A Brick as a single track, is one of interest. Some of the musical ideas stem from music created for Hariprasad Chaurasia, exponent of the bansuri, an Indian bamboo flute and appeared as instrumentals that Tull played live 20 years ago. Gathering those ideas together with lyrics themed around unity, it’s a showcase of instrumental styles covering jazz, folk and rock as well as Eastern styles – a real musical journey with superb playing throughout.
The album closes with “Interim Sleep”, a spoken word piece, written about the passing of a loved one. It’s a mellow ending track, which finishes the album by staring into eternity.
There’s no doubt that Ian Anderson’s creative well has not run dry, and his output in this decade alone has been of a very high standard. Curious Ruminant is perhaps the strongest of the three Tull albums released on InsideOutMusic, and it’s exciting to hear an artist who’s still producing music of this quality after so many years. For those who enjoy strong lyrical themes and subjects, there’s lots to dig into… and musically it’s full of great playing and virtuoso flute in particular.
Check out our interview with Ian Anderson here.
Released on March 7th, 2025 on InsideOutMusic
https://jethrotullband.lnk.to/CuriousRuminant-Album
The full tracklisting is as follows:
1. Puppet And The Puppet Master 04:04
2. Curious Ruminant 06:00
3. Dunsinane Hill 04:17
4. The Tipu House 03:31
5. Savannah of Paddington Green 03:13
6. Stygian Hand 04:16
7. Over Jerusalem 05:55
8. Drink From The Same Well 16:42
9. Interim Sleep 02:33
The band consists of:
Ian Anderson – Flutes, vocals, acoustic guitar, tenor guitar, mandolin, odds and sods, bits and bobs
David Goodier – Bass guitar
John O’Hara – Piano, keyboards, accordion
Scott Hammond – Drums
Jack Clark – Electric guitar
The album also features:
James Duncan – Drums, cajón, percussion
Andrew Giddings – Piano, keyboards, accordion
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