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Paintings by Sir William Russell Flint and Walter Langley appear to have inspired "The Little Flower Girl" and "The Water Carrier," whereas Rousseau is invoked on the title track. "Sanctuary" juxtaposes the plights of children and wild animals sold into captivity. "Montserrat" rails at the world's ineffectual response to the island's plight. Two instrumentals, "Boris Dancing" and "The Stormont Shuffle," draw on political developments in Russia and Northern Ireland, while the standout "Postcard" is a guilt-tinged missive home from sunny climes.
As an occasional solo artist, Anderson has enjoyed a lower profile than with he has with his regular gig in Jethro Tull. But his third solo effort, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS, is arguably his finest project-individually or collectively-in many a year. Anderson wrote, produced, and engineered the session's 15 tracks. Three different drummers were involved, and long-term collaborator Martin Barre provides electric guitar on two numbers. All other instruments were played by Andrew Giddings (various keyboards, percussion, and electric bass guitar) and Anderson himself (flute, piccolo, and acoustic stringed things).
Personnel: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, flute, piccolo, bass, percussion); Martin Barre (guitar); Andrew Giddings (accordion, piano, organ, keyboards, marimba, bass, percussion); Gerry Conway, Darren Mooney, James Duncan (drums).
Q (4/00, p.86) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[Anderson] allows his unplugged nature full rein on this collection of acoustic songs....full of invention, pin-sharp arrangements and dense, clever melodies....pure height-of-power stuff." Dirty Linen (6-7/00, p.88) - "...Anderson sounds more energized here, as singer, instrumentalist, and composer, than he has in many a moon." Mojo (Publisher) (4/00, p.108) - "...An album of tangy freshness and literate precision....By and large, he jigs, he slinks, he's witty..."
Another Side Jethro Tull fans may be a little disapointed with this effort but I personally think it wasn't for Tull fans but Ian's fans. Far stronger than "Divinities" it contains moments of brilliance, beautiful flute lines and Ian's marvellous vocals (think: Said she was a dancer). It has a laid back feel without being ambient like "Divinities". A must for the serious Tull/Anderson fan. **Don't switch off at the end, there are 2 hidden tracks. Submitted by a reviewer (Perth, Western Australia) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Topnotch Acoustic Tull In this solo album, Anderson sounds like the latest version of Tull's band, only acoustic. He is accompanied by them, so no wonder, and the latest Tull configuration is tight and sparkling marvelous. If you like any of the last 3 Tull albums, Roots to Branches, DotCom and Christmas Album, get this one and Rupi's Dance as they are similar and of equally high quality. Submitted by Andrew M (Santa Rosa, CA, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Simply Put, Just Fabulous As a long-time Jethro Tull fan, I've enjoyed some incredible music performed by Ian Anderson and company. This album is an absolute joy. The music is very reminiscent of the great acoustic-oriented songs such as "Under Wraps", "Moths", "One White Duck" and "Wond'ring Aloud", but with a bit more complex arrangements and diverse instrumentation. All the selections are top notch. I especially enjoy the song "Circular Breathing". Go buy this CD. You're sure to enjoy it Submitted by a reviewer (Baltimore, MD, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Another Side
Simply Put, Just Fabulous
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