Béla Fleck and the Flecktones (album)

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones is the first album by the band of the same name, released in 1990. It reached number 17 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. At the Grammy Awards of 1997, a live version of "The Sinister Minister", a track from the album, won the Best Pop Instrumental Performance award.

Reception
In his Allmusic review, music critic Brian Mansfield praised the album and wrote "For all the flash, there's little pretense; the group's astonishing musicianship keeps an "aw-shucks" accessibility that lets everybody follow the melody while they marvel."

Track listing
All songs by Béla Fleck unless otherwise noted.
 * 1) "Sea Brazil" – 3:43
 * 2) "Frontiers" – 6:08
 * 3) "Hurricane Camille" – 2:38
 * 4) "Half Moon Bay" – 5:09
 * 5) "The Sinister Minister" – 4:38
 * 6) "Sunset Road" – 5:04
 * 7) "Flipper" – 4:21
 * 8) "Mars Needs Women: Space is a Lonely Place" – 5:01
 * 9) "Mars Needs Women: They're Here" – 3:30
 * 10) "Reflections of Lucy" (B. Fleck/John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 3:38
 * 11) "Tell It to the Gov'nor" – 4:06

Single
The only single from this album was "The Sinister Minister". The music video received heavy airplay on MTV and VH1 back in the early 90s. The video was so popular, it was featured on an episode of VH1's Pop-Up Video and won a Grammy in 1997, despite it being a 1990 song.

Personnel

 * Béla Fleck – banjo
 * Howard Levy – diatonic harmonica (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8-11), synth (tracks 5, 11), synthesizers (tracks 5, 6, 8, 10), piano (tracks 1-4, 6, 7, 10), Jew's harp (track 2), güiro (track 5)
 * Roy "Future Man" Wooten – Synth-Axe Drumitar
 * Victor Wooten – bass
 * Camille Harrison (uncredited) - vocals (track 6)

Some websites claim additional musicians participated on this album, but these are not supported by the liner notes. However, in the notes from the band's next album, Flight of the Cosmic Hippo, apologies and credit for vocal work is given to Camille Harrison for the track "Sunset Road".

Production notes

 * Produced by Béla Fleck with the Flecktones
 * Carlos Grier – editing
 * Bil VornDick – mixing
 * Denny Purcell – mastering
 * Mark Fox – artwork, design
 * Laura LiPuma – art direction
 * Jim McGuire – photography