Victor Wooten
A Show Of Hands

THE REVIEW

"You can't hold no groove if ain't got no pocket".

Never understood what Victor meant by this phrase, but it doesn't really matter. Yes, it doesn't matter, considering what usually happens after a few seconds. At least for me, it's impossible to listen indifferently to the incredibly fun opening riff of this "A Show of Hands", sticky like glue and incredibly (surprise, surprise) groovy. From the very first and just-mentioned song, the coordinates of the album are clear, simple in structure, but incredibly complex in execution. The only instrument used on the album is the bass, and perhaps this element makes the album a bit boring overall, and truly enjoyable in one go only for enthusiasts. In fact, I don't consider the work in question a true marvel, because apart from several (beautiful) songs, I don't find any particular meaning to attribute to the whole unless we consider this release a pure execution demonstration of various techniques that Victor Wooten himself helped improve for the instrument, in his genre and beyond (primarily slap). Notable mentions include the Stevie Wonder cover "Overjoyed", the easily accessible "More Love", and above all, "U Can't Hold No Groove...".

A tasty album up to a certain point, I recommend it in its entirety only to bass players looking for inspiration (who I doubt aren't familiar with whom I'm talking about), while I think everyone can enjoy listening to some pieces considered individually. We're not dealing with the refinement of Pat Metheny or the creativity of Jaco Pastorius, but with this album, I wanted to shed light on an artist deserving of a little more discussion on this site.