Turning up the Bass

My latest album purchase was one I hadn't heard of but maybe should have. Thunder is the rather apt name of the album by SMV -- Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten. Three powerful electric bass players bringing their groove together.

I'm actually not yet at a clear opinion about Thunder, which I find a bit odd. I'm generally pretty quick to judge. My first impressions were pretty positive, actually. I didn't really like the way the first track opens, though, which has me a bit off kilter. I think my current position on the album as a whole is "pretty good".

The signature sounds of each of these great players seem to be evident throughout the recordings. I find that the three of them play perhaps too similar styles to fully complement each other. So although there are some really great parts on here, many are just OK.

I think perhaps my favorite track on here is Tutu. The tune is very familiar to me from Miles Davis' Amandla album. The liner notes to Thunder say Marcus Miller wrote it. His playing on the track is definitely reminiscent of Amandla, though the arrangement is different enough on Thunder as to be quite fresh. Great tune!

I got turned on to Stanley Clarke in the late 90's with his East River Drive album. Really solid.

I was a bit skeptical of an album of three bass players. And although it has some really strong parts, I think the album Thunder as a whole rates 3 stars out of 5 on my playlist rating scale. It's pretty good for listening to on the road, because the bass carries well in the car.