Live in America [Live]

Victor Wooten | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 9, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Label: Compass Records
• ASIN: B00005Q6KK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,375 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #12 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Funk Rock
  • #21 in Music > Rock > Jam Bands > Funk Jam Bands
  • #31 in Music > Jazz > Jazz Jam Bands

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars maybe my expectations were too high?, October 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Live in America (Audio CD)

Based on a few listens, I cannot give this CD five stars. Like the person who did the review titled "just being selfish..", I am a little disappointed.

I am willing to conceed that I may have set expectations that were too high, but I am a huge Victor Wooten fan, and I know what he is capable of.

I love his bass playing, and I can't seem to get enough of it. These discs certainly represent what you will get at a Victor show--great improvization, some surprises, etc. However, for the album to have staying power, I think it needs to highlight his greatest strength--his incredible playing.

This album is a little short on that. For example, instead of listening to Divinity rap about how she does not have a record deal, I would like to hear Victor playing more.

I understand the direction that Victor is going, and I respect it, but for my money I would rather hear more bass playing.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Album, sags at times, March 22, 2005

By 

Ben Streedson "Ben" (Red Sox Nation) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live in America (Audio CD)

I just recently saw Victor and his band on the Soul Circus tour and picked up this album on the way out. It was an awesome show, and this album does a pretty good job of capturing the band's upbeat energy and great grooves.

There's a lot to digest here, and the album isn't put together quite well enough to make it a seamlessly enjoyable listening experience. There are a number of excellent tracks on the first disc, mostly of the funk-groove variety. "Nobody Knows my Name," "Yinin' and Yangin'" and even "Hormones in the Headphones" all have great energy. Victor's solo spot on track seven is great, with the somberly captivating "Sacred Silence" leading into the tap-tastic "The Jam Man." Sadly, Regi Wooten's solo spot at the end of the disc doesn't translate quite right on the CD. This is unfortunate because his crazy guitar solo was one of the highlights from the Soul Circus show. Regi shines most in backup here, however.

Disc Two opens with one of the best recorded jam sessionsof all time, with Victor laying down the funk and Marcus Miller soloing seamlessly for upwards of ten minutes. There's more upbeat funk here, most notably "Imagine This." The second disc does drag a little in the middle with too much stage chatter. And did we really need to hear rapper Divinity playing bass?

This is a good album overall, there are just a few nagging problems that detract every time you hear them. Victor and his band are amazing, don't hesitate to check them out on tour now that the Flecktones are taking some time off.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Awesome bass, but only for frends & family of Wootens, December 7, 2002

By 

Anthony Cooper (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live in America (Audio CD)

Victor Wooten is a superb bassist, and his playing is excellent on this disc. The bass playing is strong enough for five stars, and that includes the guest spots (Marcus Miller shines!).

I have a few problems with the disc, though. It needs editing, for one. While it's fine to be at a show and listen to the stage patter, we don't need all of it on the discs. Some of the songs frankly sound dated and corny. The track selection on the discs are funny, sometimes it'll go from track 8 to track 9 in the middle of a song, sometimes the same track will be a medley of three songs with definite starts and stops between them. The keyboard sounds are cheap.

Despite it's flaws, if you like awesome bass playing, this is a good disc to buy. It's fun too, if you can overlook the corniness of a few of the songs.