Leo Kottke / Mike Gordon 'Sixty Six Steps' September 18, 2005- Chicago Sun-Times By Jeff Johnson Album Review - Sixty Six Steps This unlikely pairing of '70s acoustic guitar hero Leo Kottke and Phish bassist-bandleader Mike Gordon clicked three years ago with "Clone," and it works even better this time with "Sixty Six Steps." Kottke's in fine form here, putting his dazzling liquid folk-blues runs and trademark propulsive strumming to perfect use on four of his originals, four Gordon numbers and covers that range as far afield as Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion," Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" and Pete Seeger's "Living in the Country." It's hard to nail down just how Gordon has shaped the overall sound, but his jam-band leanings certainly seem to have steered Kottke's playing in a free-flowing direction. Percussionist Neil Symonette supplies plenty of bells and whistles, although Kottke and Gordon are now touring as an acoustic duo. Neither of these guys is a particularly gifted vocalist (Kottke once colorfully described his voice as "geese farts on a muggy day"), but their voices add to the general quirkiness and likability of their material, which somehow retains the tropical breeziness of their Costa Rican and Bahamian studios. Note: Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon will perform Oct. 19 at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage. Review © 2005 Chicago Sun-Times