Mike Gordon and Leo Kottke
Sixty Six Steps
(RCA Victor)
First Appeared in The Music Box, October 2005, Volume 12, #10
Written by John Metzger
During Phish’s first hiatus, bass player Mike Gordon collaborated with
guitarist extraordinaire Leo Kottke on Clone, a set that, with its quirky
jumble of folk, blues, and bluegrass styles, managed to offend Kottke’s fans as
much as it pleased Gordon’s. On their sophomore outing Sixty Six Steps,
the duo resumes their partnership by enveloping a similar batch of rustic
appropriations within an array of breezy, calypso beats. The result is warm,
sunny, and subtle as Gordon’s bass and Kottke’s guitar embrace in an intricate
dance that toys with the delicate relationship between rhythm and melody. The
problem, however, is that much like Clone, Sixty Six Steps
features a skewed and sometimes silly sense of lyricism as well as some
downright dreadful vocal exchanges, all of which serve only to undermine the
more impressive instrumental passages. While that’s not going to stop some jam
band aficionados from proclaiming that Sixty Six Steps is one of the
highlights of 2005, it also won’t allow the set to be viewed by the more
discriminating world at large as anything more than a passing curiosity — albeit
one that has its moments of redemption.
Sixty Six Steps is available from Barnes & Noble.
To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005 The Music Box