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Jethro Tull: RökFlöte
 2023 is turning out to be an exciting year for Tull and their fans, on the heels of 2022’s The Zealot Gene, Ian not only returns with a new album, but a tour is set as well. The venerable Anderson is 75 years old, so before we go further, let’s be thankful that we are still getting new music from him.
In reading the liner notes, Anderson’s idea was a mostly flute oriented album, and the flute is as strong as ever here. The lyrical content is drawn from Anderson’s interest in Poetic Edda of Icelandic Medieval history, Norse Mythology, as he seems drawn to exploring his ancestry. Ian is more of a talker than singer these days, and that is one of the drawbacks, as his voice lacks power and authority in its delivery. On first listen, I was a bit taken back with the spoken word narration of “Voluspo”, an extremely odd choice for an opening track. Thankfully, “Ginnungagap” follows up the opener, and right now is my favorite track on the album. The guitars and flute really shine on this track, especially the unison runs. The biggest issue is the music often sounds a bit restrained, it feels like they are holding back. The instrumental sections do have a more obvious punch to them. Guitarist Joe Parrish-James gets some fiery licks in, check out “Hammer on Hammer” for some fine guitar work. “Wolf Unchained” is another one where the band flirts with really letting loose, I really like the instrumental sections here. Songs like “The Perfect One” and “Ithavoll” (which is again marred by a spoken word sections) feel like they are stuck in first gear, there is a sameness as you work your way through the 12 tracks. But, there are enough good moments to make this an enjoyable edition to the Tull catalogue. “Cornucopia” is a beautiful melody, and I would have loved to hear this performed as an instrumental piece.
Ian can weave melodies as well as anyone, and it’s still a thrill to hear that flute. Once RökFlöte goes on the shelf, will I ever reach for this one over a classic like Songs From The Wood? That’s highly doubtful, but let me also say that I am glad that Ian continues to create and perform, and I look forward to Tull’s tour this year. Go Ian!!!
Track List:
1. Voluspo
2. Ginnungagap
3. The Feathered Consort
4. Hammer On Hammer
5. Wolf Unchained
6. The Perfect One
7. Trickster (And The Mistletoe)
8. Cornucopia
9. The Navigators
10. Guardian’s Watch
11. Ithavoll
Added: June 3rd 2023
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:  
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2119
Language: english
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Jethro Tull: RökFlöte
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2023-06-03 15:39:35
My Score:
Once you get past the odd spoken word vocals from bothIan Anderson & Unnur Birna on opening track "Voluspo", it's off to the races on the very fine new album RokFlote from progressive rock legends Jethro Tull. Those who wanted more 'rock' from 2022's The Zealot Gene will get plenty of that here on this latest, as Ian's wonderful flute lines zig-zag around Joe Parrish-James's crunchy riffs and blazing leads on such tracks as "Ginnungagap", "Hammer on Hammer", "Wolf Unchained", and "The Navigators". Historically, most of us have always come to Jethro Tull for the flute and the guitar, and while there's no longer Martin Barre on the Tull roster, Joe does a fine job here providing some thunder. John O'Hara's array of keyboards add an elegant touch, though truth be told I would have liked to have heard a little more from him, and both bassist David Goodier and drummer Scott Hammond do a fine job, though they don't stand out much. And yes, there's the issue of Ian's vocals...well, they are limited, but I think he does as good a job as he can considering what he has to work with. His hushed, lower register comes across almost like a gentle whisper from the elder, sophisticated Scotsman that he is, and you have to either be ok with that or not. His vocal style actually works really well on the more folk based songs like "Cornucopia", "The Fathered Consort", and "Trickster (And the Mistletoe)", where his softer tone matches the less intense arrangements. I'd almost be ok with the band offering up more instrumentals at this stage on the more raucous, rock based material, allowing their musical skills to take over in place of Ian's limited vocal range.
All in all though, I'm enjoying this one a tad more than The Zealot Gene, and that one was a nice surprise considering how long it had been since a last proper Jethro Tull album. This one rocks, and has plenty of the magical musical bits that we love about Tull...and I'm quite ok with that!
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