HOMO ERRATICUS

I have a theory about the breakup of Jethro Tull. Well, really the split of Ian Anderson and Martin Barre. Anyone who has seen Tull in concert in the past twenty years has been witness to the obvious decline in Anderson's vocal range. Face it, the guy has been belting out these songs for almost a half a century. And on top of that, the medical issues surrounding his voice have been no secret. Breaking with Barre allows Anderson an excuse to not have to perform the greatest hits of Tull every night, highlighting the fact that his 120 year old vocal chords just aren't the same. With this "new" band (most of whom have already toured with both Tull and Anderson), he is free to pick and choose which of the classic tracks, and even rearrange them for comfort, without having to defend the Jethro Tull legacy.

But speaking of legacy, just as his "Thick As A Brick 2" had that Tull sound, this new album fits like an old pair of shoes to the ears of a lifelong fan of the band. And yes, many of us are crazy enough to wear old shoes on our ears. Even without Barre, the songs have that Tull feel. There are classical based symphonic prog songs, medieval madrigal rock songs, british folk rock, and of course, some hard rockers (what the geezers at the Academy of Arts and Sciences might mistake for heavy metal).

Sure, Anderson has been famous for poking fun at the prog rock label, but here he has embraced the form for which he has been a master. The album is yet another concept album from the man that jokingly disdained the form. He uses his music to give his version of the history of man, from 7000 BCE to the year 2044. Lyrically witty throughout, the album is an absolute joy from start to finish (and the liner notes are a must-read).

The music harkens mostly to two of Anderson's strong compositional periods. The main styling, is the understated and elegant nineties sound of Roots To Branches (my favorite of the later Tull albums) and the folky, but complex Songs From The Wood / Heavy Horses period. Anderson intersperses classic sounding Tullish pieces with songs that use many of the sounds from the period for which they represent. Honestly, after many spins in my CD player, I still hear new facets of the songs every time I play it.

It makes me wish that Anderson could keep on recording for another hundred years. Who knows? Modern science might make that possible...