Sixty Six Steps

1	Living in the Country 3:51
2	The Grid 3:17
3	Oh Well 3:22
4	Rings 4:30
5	Cherry County 2:30
6	Sweet Emotion 5:32
7	The Stolen Quiet 3:06
8	Balloon 3:26
9	Over the Dam 3:40
10	Can't Hang 1:54
11	From Spink to Correctionville 2:28
12	Ya Mar 5:01
13	Twice 4:10
14	Invisible 6:35

Barnes & Noble

Two great tastes that taste great together? That's as good a way as any to describe the commingling of acoustic guitar guru Leo Kottke and erstwhile Phish bassist Mike Gordon. For their second collaborative disc, the pair have gone south -- literally -- to soak up the calypso and soca rhythms of the Caribbean, which provide a foundation for a giddy array of covers and originals. At first listen, the most striking pieces come from the former category -- notably a Zappa-styled rendition of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion," which replaces Joe Perry's slashing guitar with a buoyant baglama (a sort of Turkish mandolin). Equally intriguingly, the duo take Pete Seeger's "Living in the Country" on a jaunt through the rainforest, injecting it with a misty, tropical air. A good bit of the rhythmic pulse is provided by drummer Neil Symonette (the house drummer at the famed Compass Point Studio), but Gordon goes out of his way to bend grooves in his typically off-kilter manner. That's showcased most effectively on the first studio recording of "Ya Mar" (a tune that was a staple of Phish's live sets) as well the slacker lament "Stolen Quiet," which, interestingly enough, reflects ironically on the benefits of the breakup of a long-term relationship. Kottke's just as attention-grabbing (in his subversively subtle way) on his turns in the spotlight, finger-picking masterfully through "Last Train to Correctionville" and crooning quizzically on the wide-eyed "Balloon." That lack of guile permeates Sixty Six Steps, creating a vibe so playful that it's almost impossible not to join in the fun. David Sprague

All Music Guide

The second collaboration of Leo Kottke with ex-Phish bassist Mike Gordon finds the duo exploring breezy Caribbean sounds, with a few surprise covers. The musicians work wonderfully together, with Gordon's meaty yet malleable bass grounding and darting around Kottke's distinctive and agile fingerpicked lines. Percussion reinforces the island sound (the album was recorded at the famous Compass Point Studios in Nassau) and provides a terrific backbone for the album's tropical approach. Neither Gordon nor Kottke have great (or even good) voices -- the bassist's is particularly thin -- but they admirably dig into the songs, singing on about half of the tracks with a charming, easygoing quality that suits the material and shows they are enjoying this ride. "With a happy tune, anyone can become a singer" is a line from "Rings," an old Kottke gem revitalized here, and it fits the participants' scraggly style. Some tunes, such as Gordon's "Stolen Quiet," are so light and airy that they nearly float away. But they are saved by the stunning musicianship and often bizarre, stream-of-consciousness lyrics that veer between silly and thought-provoking. Hence, a few more instrumentals might be in order if there are future editions of this undeniably successful collaboration. Covers of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" and -- more astonishingly -- Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" seem a bit out of place, but nonetheless provide the album with head-turning highlights. The latter works off a slinky, swampy, funk bass-driven groove that affords a terrific framework for both musicians' talents. Kottke goes solo on "From Spink to Correctionville" and reprises his own "Twice," a terrific tune that benefits from the Caribbean arrangement. Production from David Z., which keeps the spaces open, and nearly perfect percussion assistance from Neil Symonette are the less obvious pieces that combine to put this puzzle together so effectively. Hal Horowitz