Jethro Tull's "The Zealot Gene" Album review

Here we go, album number 22 for this legendary band. This is the follow up from their 2003 "Jethro Tull's Christmas album." It has been a while since the band ventured into new recordings. Ian Anderson gave us some interesting music with his "Thick as a brick II" and "Homo Erraticus." Both highly anticipated by me on release date.

Going back to this new album, this is the first Tull album featuring original music since "Dot.com" recorded on 1999. Without any doubt, is a real pleasure to put my hands on this new material by Ian Anderson. Besides being exited about this new collection of song, I was kind of nervous, his last solo effort was interesting but it didn't receive much playtime. Interesting concept, skillfully played, but is not something that I want to listen very often.

Like I said, I was nervous, what if this is a far cry from their signature folk-prog sound? I got to tell you again, my expectations were high. On "The Zealot Gene." longtime fans have been awarded with an outstanding collection of songs, the Classic Tull sound is here, what a treat.

To my amazement, the classic seventies sound is here, the avant-garde electronic sound of the eighties is here, folk sensibility? you name it, it's here. It's like a tour de force along their incredible musical career.

Ian Anderson flute playing is top notch as expected, his lyrics? as insightful and fun as usual. There's so much mysticism in his words, his storytelling ages like wine, What a way to catch your attention and engage with his public.

It's unfair not to mention Martin Barre, he was the creative counterpart that pushed the boundaries always further with his masterful playing and unique style. He was on board for almost 40 years, sure, his sound is surely missed, he is as important as Ian Anderson in creating the Tull sound that we all love. You can feel that it sounds like Jethro Tull but not quite.

The album kicks off with "Mrs. Tibbets" Without any shadow of a doubt a perfect opener. What stuck me was that mid-eighties-kind-of-vibe, I'm glad it was not a beacon of what the whole album would sound like, don't get me wrong, is a wonderful track, skillful playing, it flows masterfully.

It lead to the second track, "Jacob's tales," now we move into another direction. It's folky, catchy melody, a nice change of horses right at the beginning of the record. Without giving us time here comes "Mine is the mountain," a sober and more cumbersome song with nice dark piano and sinister lyrics ready to spark your imagination.

The forth track, "The Zealot Gene," is a rocker, classic Tull sound with a heavy riff that drives the song to pleasant territory. I can say that this is one of the highlights of the album. to follow up comes "Shoshana Sleeping," another lovely tune, this time with a funky/playful approach, this album flows masterfully with all its ups and downs rhythmically.

"Sad city sisters" comes to slow thing down a bit, it's like a breath of fresh air after all the hype of the first 5 songs. Lovely way to put the brakes and release all that build-up tension. "Barren Beth, Wild Desert John," brings to the table this incredible and delicate flute riff, the perfect companion to the guitar and overall musical splendor.

As we move along "The Betrayal of Joshua Kynde" brings again an excellent funky rhythm with a skillful guitar solo, but what really stands out is the haunting piano that comes and goes just like waves in the ocean.

From then on, the folky late-seventies sound takes the lead for the next three tracks. "Where did saturday go?/Three loves, three/In brief visitation," work as a perfect triptych of that beloved folk side of Tull.

We got to the last track, "The fisherman of Ephesus." Here, the band goes all in touching a vast array of eras in their sound. Here you got some progressive goodness from the early-seventies and late-eighties synth merging to bring this new chapter in Tull's music to a proper close.

This album is a wonderful listening experience, great 12 tracks, almost 48 minutes of great music ready to soothe your cravings for Jethro Tull's music. Give it a try, you won't regret.