SONGS FROM THE WOOD

Most would agree that it was probably time for Tull to step away from the album-length epics. In so doing with Songs from the Wood, the band manage to keep their trademark style (frenetic bits, lots of quick shifting between melodies, etc.) but break things up into digestible tracks.

I prefer more extended pieces--perhaps some middle ground between entire album cuts and singles--but this was a good move for the band regardless.

This has a bit of a Gentle Giant feel to it, perhaps most similar to Octopus, in that the songs feature a variety of instrumentation and inspiration. We've got the nice vocal call and response sandwiching the rockier bits in the title track, the tasty 12-string and flute combo of Cup of Wonder, the baroque-inspired Velvet Green, the folk-rock Whistler, and the spacey--at least by Tull standards--Pibroch. All of these are very solid songs in their own right.

Very well played, and creative variety with textures and instruments. However, too often I think that I've heard similar bits before, perhaps not on this album, but on previous ones. Let's face it--it's just hard to really distinguish yourself after coming out with so much great music. I think Tull is running up against that just a bit here, but that shouldn't reduce the quality of music on this album. However, if you're to the point where you think you might have enough Tull, then you probably can live without Songs from the Wood.