The Hidden Land is the eighth studio album and twelfth album overall released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 2006. It was recorded before the band's year-long hiatus during 2005 and released afterward. The Hidden Land won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.[1][2]

The Hidden Land
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 14, 2006
RecordedSanctuary Studios
GenreJazz fusion, progressive bluegrass, post-bop, folk rock
Length59:53
LabelSony
ProducerBéla Fleck with the Flecktones
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones chronology
Little Worlds
(2003)
The Hidden Land
(2006)
Jingle All the Way
(2008)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [3]
No Depression(no rating)[4]

In his Allmusic review, music critic Thom Jurek was lukewarm about the album, writing, "It's not that complexity and a multiplicity of ideas is a bad thing; quite the opposite, but knowing when to reign them in [sic] and make the music sing is another thing. This record sings only in a couple of places. The rest is 'serious Flecktones.' Perhaps this determination is simply not for most of us. It's easy to accept that, especially when those serious Flecktones fans will be debating individual musical passages until the next album is released."[3] Devin Grant of No Depression wrote: "Fleck keeps things centered, wielding his banjo in directions the instrument wasn’t originally envisioned to go."[4]

Track listing

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All songs by Béla Fleck unless otherwise noted.

  1. "Fugue from Prelude/Fugue No. 20 in A minor, BWV 889" (J.S. Bach, arr. The Flecktones) – 1:51
  2. "P'Lod In The House" (Future Man/B. Fleck) – 3:46
  3. "Rococo" – 3:46
  4. "Labyrinth" – 6:21
  5. "Kaleidoscope" (The Flecktones) – 5:08
  6. "Who's Got Three?" – 5:22
  7. "Weed Whacker" – 7:44
  8. "Couch Potato" – 3:03
  9. "Chennai" (Jeff Coffin/B. Fleck) – 5:48
  10. "Subterfuge" – 4:04
  11. Interlude (The Flecktones) – 0:39
  12. "Misunderstood" – 7:27
  13. "The Whistle Tune" – 4:54

Personnel

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Production notes

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  • Béla Fleck with the Flecktones
  • Robert Battaglia – engineer, mixing
  • Richard Dodd – mastering
  • Frank Ockenfels – photography
  • Christopher Austopchuk – art direction
  • Giulio Turturro – design

Chart positions

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Year Chart Position
2006 Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums 2
2006 Billboard Top Internet Albums 288

References

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  1. ^ "Album review (reviewed Feb 2010)". Allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  2. ^ "Album review (reviewed Feb 2010)". Rocknworld.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  3. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "The Hidden Land > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Grant, Devin (March–April 2006). "Review: The Hidden Land". No Depression.