Style: progressive rock, folk rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Genesis, Gentle Giant, Kansas
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: 7 March 2025
They say to respect your elders, yet despite Jethro Tull’s number of studio albums exceeding that of years I’ve been alive, the band’s recent output has not garnered my admiration; in fact, ever since Tull’s 2022 album, The Zealot Gene, my group chat with my parents has been titled “Disappointed by Jethro Tull.” Why my parents found that text so funny three years ago I do not know, but anytime I contact my mom and dad, I am reminded that the Jethro Tull who made a prog masterpiece like Thick as a Brick and radio hits like those on Aqualung is no longer with us. (Perhaps predictably with such a terrible album title) 2023’s follow-up to The Zealot Game, RökFlöte, was even worse. So now here in 2025 celebrating Jethro Tull’s twenty-fourth studio album, the question to begin the review is obvious: does my immortalized text ring true? Will I remain Disappointed by Jethro Tull, or is Curious Ruminant a desperately needed improvement on their last two albums?
Everybody and their moms are familiar with Jethro Tull, but for those who aren’t, Curious Ruminant elaborates on what Jethro Tull have made a 50+ year career out of: being the premier flute rock band. Saturated with Ian Anderson’s flute, Curious Ruminant has a folk backbone provided by the jubilant whimsy of his playing. The delicate woodwind almost exclusively performs the non-vocal melodies; to be frank, the record suffers for it. The strongest moments on the entire album are a memorable guitar riff at around 1:30 in the title track and an actual rock chorus on “The Tipu House” because, for the most part, Curious Ruminant is a slow, soporific affair compounded by a brittle flute tone and several sections that sound like Zamfir’s legendary 80s new age pan flute. Moreover, the melodies themselves are on the irritating side of things, the bland and bouncy flute ingratiating itself with the most stereotypical of Celtic folk music—Tull even include some accordian to hammer home the stylistic similarities.
With a vocal style that borders on spoken word throughout Curious Ruminant (often becoming actually spoken like on closer “Interim Sleep”), Ian Anderson’s bardic storytelling matches the vibe of the fluty folkiness. That is to say it is profoundly boring—and annoying. Although his timbre has remained steady for the last five decades, Anderson has lost his range and charm, sticking almost entirely (or entirely) within one mid-range octave. Most singers do once they reach a certain age, and there’s a sadness to it: he wants the band to continue clearly—and he has passion—but Jethro Tull only ever sounds more desiccated. While I’d of course rather him stay in a comfortable range than strain for notes he can’t reach, a more energetic vocal style would do wonders for Curious Ruminant because as is, Anderson may as well be singing lullabies.
After his spoken word and flute contributions to Opeth’s return to pseudo-death metal last year, I hoped to no avail that Anderson would be inspired to try something a bit more rock-oriented. The inclusion of more than a singular riff or a return to something more akin to their 70s prog rock would have drastically improved Curious Ruminant, but Jethro Tull have one trick up their sleeves to potentially save the record: “Drink from the Same Well.” Tull’s first song over ten minutes since “Budapest” in 1987, I had high hopes going into the new sixteen-minute epic. After a lengthy intro section, the track endlessly meanders, often repeating a new age motif as well as the line “I drink… from the same as you.” The track goes nowhere, the sense of composition haphazard. Poor transitions link uninspired flute melodies which act as a reprisal of all that came before on the record. This is the band with literally the first one-track progressive rock album (Thick as a Brick), a timeless masterpiece and triumph of long-form songwriting. How the mighty have fallen.
I have tremendous respect for Ian Anderson as a musician despite my distaste for post-hiatus Jethro Tull: not many people are still rocking in their late seventies. Well, Curious Ruminant would be more engaging if he were still rocking rather than playing tepid flute music. However, eventually one has to introspect and realize it may be time to stop writing new music, and Jethro Tull are creatively destitute now. Rock away at live performances and rest on the laurels of your past greatness rather than churn out drivel! But with Curious Ruminant, it’s safe to say I’m more Disappointed in Jethro Tull than ever.
Recommended tracks: Puppet and the Puppet Master, Curious Ruminant, The Tipu House
You may also like: Flor de Loto, Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate, Mandoki Soulmates
Final verdict: 4/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Label: InsideOut Music – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
Jethro Tull is:
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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