Album Review - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones - The Hidden Land DUALDISC
John Metzger
In the midst of its year-long hiatus from touring, The Flecktones
reconvened at leader Bela Fleck's home studio in Nashville to begin work
on The Hidden Land. Coming after the sprawling, overly ambitious Little
Worlds, the resulting album is a welcome return to form for the group.
The Hidden Land boasts no distracting special guests, and containing a
mere 13-tracks, it undeniably is a more focused affair that largely
sounds as if Pat Metheny and Dave Brubeck had collaborated on a
bluegrass project. At first glance, however, there also isn't anything
featured on the set that will convince naysayers to pay attention.
Perhaps, that's the reason that The Hidden Land is also available as a
DualDisc collection, though whether casual fans will shell over a few
extra dollars to purchase the outing in this format is questionable.
Still, its crafty surround sound mix not only enhances the drama that is
inherent within The Flecktones' material, but it also more sharply
defines the colors and textures of the ensemble's instrumental interplay.
This is an excerpt. To read the complete review, please visit:
http://www.musicbox-online.com/reviews-2006/hidden-land.html