Customer Reviews

Soul Circus

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Yeah, I know only 3 stars? Well I have to admit that I was disappointed from the latest installment by the great Victor Wooten. It grooves at times and has some killer bass solos. It just doesn't move me. I listened to the cd 3 times and have little interest in listening to the cd again. So what's wrong? 1. from song to song there are familiar sounds of monstrosities from the 80's (especially the keyboards). 2. stating the obvious is not poetry 3. a show of hands is 10 times better 4. It just sounds-Cheesy
I still love Victor Wooten. He is one of the most amazing bass players alive and continues to baffle me in his live performances. This disc is for the hard core Wooten fan only.

First of all, I'm a huge VW fan. I bought this album the day it came out, and I had been awaiting it for months.

I think I would have given this album 5 stars if it wasn't for the vocals/lyrics. I'm an instrumental junkie overall, but I would tolerate (and even enjoy) lyrics if they matched the quality of the music. In this case, I don't think they come close.

The first theme (Victa) is a good example. 10 seconds into the funky riff and I was loving it, but then the vocals ruined it for me. Personally, I don't think he's a very good singer overall, but the lyrics in this one is what I found most distasteful. I thought (and I'm still in doubt), "is this guy this cocky, or am I just not getting it?".

As the album progresses, I keep finding it difficult to ignore the vocals (in which case I would have REALLY enjoyed it). Overall, I find them uninspiring, unnecesary, and full of mediocre rhymes. There's a few exceptions here and there, but for the most part I would have loved for this album to be mostly (if not completely) instrumental.

I'm not necessarily dissapointed at Victor, he's doing what he does and obviously having fun at it, which I applaud. I don't think of this in terms of 'better' or 'worse', but if you dig his pure instrumental work , then this may not be the CD for you.

I'm still as much of a VW fan as I was before buying this, though, and I will go see him live every chance I get. Looking forward for many more Flecktones' releases, and possibly (if rumors are true) an eventual VTT3!

He is THE monster bass guitarist of the times but you would never get that by listening to this recording. This sounds like a fun time with the family in the recording studio but Victor's brilliant playing takes a back seat to mediocrity on this one. Almost ANY one song played by VW with the Flecktones buries most of his efforts here. If someone told me that this was a Bootsy Collins disc I could believe it, but a Victor Wooten offering? Actually, the Yang side of his Yin-Yang disc tended to go in the Soul Circus direction which surprised me back then too.

The first time which I listened a Wooten's music... I felt a great sensation, then it wanted to buy some Wooten's records.. and I did it.

In this record, Wooten disappoint me.. but it's just a record... he never it stopped being a great musician.

I am a fan of all bass musicans including Victor, but this outing is painfull to listen to. It sounds like bad 70' funk with bad 80' rap layered on top.The lyrics provided are cheesey at best, allthough they are written with a meaningfull philosophical content, they could be penned by an elementary student with a degree in ryme.The bass playing is a step down from Victors ability shown in the past and I hope for a return to his signature roots for the future of bass.

I have been a Victor Wooten fan (fanatic) since the mid 90's. I have always gotten each CD or DVD he has put out within a week of its release. I would have to say that this is the worst performance this musical genius has presented to us to date. With so much hope for him coming back to my area on a solo tour, I purchased 8 tickets for his Soul Circus tour show in Cleveland. Within the first hour almost half of who I had invited had walked out (everyone else to quickly follow). We were all witnessing more of of a hip-hop show than we were a Victor Wooten Concert. I was sorely disappointed by this CD and even more disappointed by the concert that followed. My recommendations are to pass up this CD and see what direction he decides to go to next. If you are interested in Vic, almost every one of the CD's and DVDs he's performed on before this last release is worth it's weight in gold. However, this latest release entitled Soul Circus is far from the greatest show on earth. I have seen Victor in other events where I could have put it in the status of "the greatest show on earth". I hope for a more genuine approach from him in the future. You may read a few reviews here from people who wouldn't ever knock the modern master of the electric bass guitar, Victor Wooten. I have a hard time doing it myself, but this (with high expectations) was a huge disappointment for me. Maybe its for money, maybe its for getting some of his musical friends more recognized, maybe its for the masses...this one certainly wasnt for me. Signed, A Concerned Listener

I love Wooten. He is incredible, but only when he actually plays the bass. This CD is him doing mediocre singing. Not really any bass. If you want him playing some bass get "A Show of Hands". If you want lame "soul" music then get this. I am extremely dissapointed, but that is what I get for not doing any research before I made the purchase.

This is an incredible album if you are looking for great music. This album displays Victor Wooten's musicianship at it's finest. Every song is well written and well played by all of the instrumentalists. If you are looking for flashy bass technique without much feeling, look elsewhere. However if you want well written songs where the flash comes from the overall musicianship, this is a great album.

Am a long time music/jazz afficianado but (am ashamed to admit that) this is my first time hearing a Victor Wooten album from start to finish. Was turned onto the brotha after hearing the "Thunder" collaboration with Wooten, Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. I maybe late to the game, but it's right on time, because I enjoyed this from start to finish. It may not be the traditional jazz album, but there's enough jazz, funk, hip-hop and soul to keep just about any music fan happy. No doubt the jazz "purists" will find reason to complain, but this is the direction Miles Davis was headed in my opinion.

There were almost no instrumental cuts on here. But the vocalists were all top notch. I could have sworn I heard Speech from Arrested Development in there too.

For Vic's past several albums, music is meshed with intent. Sometimes, the intent is to explore genres not indigenous to Victor's 80s and 90s efforts, therefore the "Soul" disc on Yin Yang. Other times, the intent is to show virtuousity of the band mates (witness the extended off beat comping on Live Over America).
This CD stays in the musical greatness with a plan motif. Tributes to the bass greats, call outs to native Americans, and so much more.
Ya just gotta let this guy experiment. Not every opus will be "best in show", but collectively, the artistry behind the music is still the inimitable and inestimable Victor and company.