Jethro Tull – The Zealot Gene – Album Review

Jethro Tull – The Zealot Gene – Album Review INSIDE OUT / Sony Music 2022
I am really enjoying this and it is a true Jethro Tull album. Perhaps my enthusiasm is getting the better of me  (I accidentally refer to the album as The Zealot Game in the video) but this sits very next to Heavy Horses and Songs From The Wood. It is rockier than those albums but it has that kind of classic Jethro Tull sound.

The musicianship and production are top class as you might expect but it really does sound superb.
The album is a concept album of sorts with each song being inspired by passages from the Bible. Ian Anderson’s talent of bringing stories to life via his lyrics and imagination is on full display here.

This is an album that can be enjoyed by non PROG and Jethro Tull fans as well it is very accessible and highly recommended. Phil Aston

Below is an additional review from Clive Snowden who is a subscriber to the Now Spinning YouTube Channel.

“I hadn’t expected to like The Zealot Gene as much as I do. The first couple of tracks they released last year reminded me more of Ian Anderson’s recent solo material. I wasn’t so sure. But they work much better in the context of the whole album and I’ve grown to like them a lot.

Despite Martin Barre’s absence, these songs – both the band recordings and the acoustic numbers – have that classic Tull feel to them. Yes, Ian’s voice may lack the power and range it once had, but here he adjusts to his limitations well. I like the softly sung – and occasional spoken or whispered – vocals here. Suits the mood of the record perfectly.

Great lyrics, as always, and many memorable riffs and tunes. The whole album feels like a complete work. And with no filler. When it’s over, I simply press play again. And again. That has to be a good sign. In terms of subject matter and production, it’s very much a “now” record. But there’s the occasional (and pleasing) nod to the past here. (Is it just me?

The flute playing just before Anderson sings the opening line on Mrs Tibbetts sounds like it’s broken away, appropriately, from Living In The Past). There are so many highlights on this album. The title track has to be one of their catchiest numbers. And I love how Three Loves, Three flows straight into In Brief Visitation (I thought this was one long song when I first heard it). If I’m honest, yes, I wish Martin Barre was still onboard. Tull without Barre was always hard to imagine. But his replacements have done a fantastic – and respectful – job here. Far, far better than expected. And, in a way, that’s how life goes. Things change.

I’m just glad to hear Ian Anderson still has the fire in the belly and the imagination to put all this stuff together. An unexpected delight” Clive