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Along with The Jethro Tull Christmas Album, 2003 saw the release of the fourth Ian Anderson solo album. In fact, pairing a Tull album with a solo album is becoming a bit of a trend. Named after the antics of a black kitten of his, this album reflects a fairly comfortable middle aged man, with perhaps one or two minor insecurities, and his relationship with the world. Musically, Anderson uses a different lineup than on Secret Language of Birds, with Andrew Giddings only appearing on two tracks, one of which is a bonus track. There is also the appearance of the Strucz String Quartet to fill out the sound on a couple of tracks. Stylistically, Anderson has changed remarkably little from his previous solo album, with a mellow acoustic sound and the occasional odd time signature. Lyrically, Anderson remains sharp, with a few amusing metaphors and observations, but he's certainly not as fiery and sarcastic as in his heyday. The lyrics that stick best in my mind are in "A Raft of Penguins," his sardonic observation of the classical musicians he has played with. These lyrics, coupled with a really nice 11/8 flute refrain, makes this one of the standout songs. Rupi's Dance is another solid effort from Ian Anderson. There is not a lot of filler here, but perhaps too little that really stands out over 55 minutes. The quirky instrumental "Eurology" is inexplicably catchy, and "Pigeon Over Berlin Zoo" has some good moments, but there isn't enough here to make me think this is the start of a renaissance for Ian Anderson. Instead, this is a comfortable effort, bound to bring a little happiness to old-timers like me who have stuck along with Ian for the duration. In keeping with tradition, the songwriting on this album is slightly better than on the Jethro Tull album released at the same time. Funny old thing, Ian Anderson solo albums... review by Conrad Leviston — 6-27-05 —