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Music CD - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones: Hidden Land
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Music CD: Hidden Land
Artist: Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
List Price: $18.97
Our Price: $8.57
Your Save: $ 10.40 ( 55% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Sony
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Tracks:
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1. Fugue From Prelude & Fugue No. 20 In A Minor, BWV 889
2. P'lod In The House
3. Rococo
4. Labyrinth
5. Kaleidoscope
6. Who's Got Three?
7. Weed Whacker
8. Couch Potato
9. Chennai
10. Subterfuge
11. Interlude
12. Misunderstood
13. The Whistle Tune
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0827969641729
Label: Sony
Manufacturer: Sony
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: 2006-02-14
Studio: Sony
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A vast musical knowledge crossover
Comment: This is one the most positively surprising albums I've got recently. Its musical range goes from classical, to Jazz, to country music. The incredible thing is that this vast musical knowledge crossover happens seamlessly, full of soul and groove. There is nothing hermetic about it. Despite the musical complexity, it sounds simple when these guys are playing. Really fresh, creative and competent. I definitely recommend this CD.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of their best and most well-rounded offerings
Comment: What more can be said about this extraordinary group of musicians? Having seen the band perform much of this album live, I rushed quickly to get my copy. I was absolutely blown away by this disc. Every track is gorgeous and lush. "The Whistle Tune" gripped me with its beautiful, tender melody and Celtic undertones. "Weedwacker" is a non-stop assault, which twists, turns, and evolves, before it plops breathlessly into the laid-back "Couch Potato". "Misunderstood" and "Rococo" are some of my favorite tracks with their detached beauty and subtlety. The whole album makes for a very pleasant, groovy, and breathtaking experience.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fresh, Innovative, Fleck
Comment: The band started to get carried away with guest appearances (Outbound, Little Worlds, etc.) that it was almost unbearable and overwhelming. Their compositions suffered because instead of something designed for specifically the Flecktones, other things came out of the woodworks (not to say that all of it or any of it was bad, but it was almost too much).
When I listen to this album, not only does it feel more original and fresher than anything I have heard Bela and the Flecktones do (at least after listening to their older albums for long spans of time), but this album just has a more intimate and naturally revealing side of the Flecktones. This is an album that will make you think, "Wow I was not expecting that! I kind of like it! Give me more!" and the more you listen to it, the more you feel like you are on the same page as them. This is a more mature album, not one for someone who does not already know how Bela Fleck speaks, so please do not listen to this as a novice listener, it sends a false first impression. The music is more jazz-like than before, and all of the songs flow together. The Flecktones take the listener on an epic adventure like none of the albums have really done before. With the major peaks (in my opinion) being the transition from Fugue to P'lod, Labyrinth, Weed Wacker>Couch Potato>Chennai, this album hits hard from the getgo.
I have always wondered, what will they do next? Bela plays guitar on here, Futureman plays a lot more acoustic drums (which is soooo refreshing), Jeff plays the flute quite a bit, and Victor is always amazing. This album keeps the Flecktones in my top five best bands of all time; The Hidden Land is indeed another album that leaves the listener wanting much more, just like the others. Although, I really like this style the most, I hope they produce more of this gold.
-Aaron
Customer Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable listening.
Comment: After several Flecktones albums (including 2003's ambitious triple CD Little Worlds that found the act collaborating with all-star guests including Derek Trucks, Branford Marsalis, and Bobby McFerrin), the group chose a back-to-basics approach for its latest release "The Hidden Land".
The disc solely features the Flecktones quartet, comprised of bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist Roy "Future Man" Wooten, and saxophonist Jeff Coffin. Together, the band expertly hones its trademark combination of bluegrass, jazz, funk, and rock influences within a more spacious and stripped-down environment.
The band has been together for 17 years, always trying to find the right next thing to do and not repeat themselves.
Having a lot of guests playing with them was an incredible amount of fun, but if they were to continue along that path,they would become very predictable.
Banjoist Bela Fleck hooks back up with his longtime backing group The Flecktones featuring longtime electric bass stalwart Victor Wooten. Their music is a mix of Americana, funk grooves and jazz and makes for pleasant if unchallenging listening. After opening with a brief Bach classical composition, the group moves into "P'lod in the House" which kicks the tempo up with pulsating electric bass and funky drum breaks. Wooten's bass is an active presence in almost every performance on this disc, especially on "Labyrinth" where it underpins pensive sounding flute and saxophone solos while scatted vocals bubble just underneath the surface.
There's a brief acoustic interlude on "Who's Got Three" with unamplified banjo (fingers scraping quite audibly on the fretboard) and clarinet taking center stage. Funky bass moves back into the forefront with the upbeat "Weed Whacker" with some quick pickin' and bouncy saxophone. "Subterfuge" gets a little more adventurous as the band jumps the rails of its comfort zone with an electric guitar solo, before ending things on a back-porch note, pickin' the banjo and tootin' on the flute for "The Whistle Song." Jam band fans will find a lit of grooves to like here, and while I found myself wishing that they took a few more chances, the album does make for pleasant if unchallenging background music.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Great Imitation of Their Own Style
Comment: Reading between the grooves, it sounds like there was a contractual obligation to produce a new album. Great playing. Innovative compositions. It's hard to pinpoint why these great musicians somehow just didn't manage to get this bird in the air. However, nothing about it really inspires, entertains or surprises.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Banjo player Bela Fleck has a world-class set of chops and a willingness to follow his muse wherever it takes him. The band ranges far and wide once again on the The Hidden Land it opens with a Bach Fugue, delves into swing, has a bit of bluegrass, does progressive rock, and jets to several other locales. But the everything-and-the-kitchen sink concept is still considerable more streamlined than 2003's Little Worlds, an overproduced and under-focused three-CD set. Highlights here include Fleck's pickin' on a progressive country stomp called "Weed Whacker" and the playful "Couch Potato," which has a hyper edge that doesn't match the sedentary implications of the title. The band's telepathic interaction is highlighted on the Middle East-influenced "Chennai," where musical lines are played in unison or tossed back and forth, making the song crackle with energy. The broad aesthetic and restless sonic changes might be a bit much for some, but a patient survey of this album will be rewarded. --Tad Hendrickson
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