THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS

Now that The Zealot Gene album by Jethro Tull has arrived, its time to brake out a few other contemporary, or near contemporary albums by Ian Anderson to see how they stack up. The best of these is easily The Secret Language Of Birds from 2000. All of the it's songs are performed mainly by Anderson and Tull keyboardist Andrew Giddings, with Ian performing with his standard array of acoustic stringed instruments, flute and hand percussion. Giddings handles electric bass as well as all acoustic and electric keys. The melodicism evoked by these two chaps cannot be understated, and Anderson has written a wonderful selection of upbeat acoustic based songs.

Folky in nature, each song has different world music motifs, be they Celtic, Indian, Russian folk, Spanish or even neo classical. There's certainly no rockers here. which results in a relaxing close listen to some of Anderson's best lyrics as a solo artist. Standout tracks are "The Secret Language of Birds", "The Little Flower Girl", "Postcard Day", "The Water Carrier", "A Better Moon" and "Sanctuary". But in truth, all are worth a listen in this very consistent solo effort from old Ian. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.