Victor Wooten, "Palmystery"

Chops are decidedly not the chief deficiency on Palmystery, the latest solo release from electric bass phenom Victor Wooten. Throughout, Béla Fleck’s funkiest Flecktone revels in his own virtuosity. Yet his coterie of guests, including guitarist Mike Stern and Soulive organist Neal Evans, keeps things from feeling too much like a Sam Ash clinic (except, maybe, on “The Lesson”). What stifles Palmystery is the New Age spiritualism that seems to compete with Wooten’s overdrive fusion. Gospel works wonders for him, but “I Saw God” is a phrase the maestro should leave to his fans.