Mike Gordon and Leo Kottke "Sixty Six Steps" September 21, 2005 - Style Weekly (Richmond) By Carrie Nieman Album Review - Sixty Six Steps On their second collaboration Phish bassist Mike Gordon and acoustic guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke get it right. They keep the singing to a minimum and capitalize on hits from their separate bags of tricks. Kottke¹s picking creates a polyrhythmic complement to Gordon¹s offbeat bass. Recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, the album¹s 12 cuts seem to reflect an island air, in part because of the creativity of Nassau session drummer Neil Symonette, who uses things like goats¹ hooves, fish shakers, a Jack Daniel¹s jug and more than 30 other things for percussion. The buoyant rhythms of the islands are washed over Kottke¹s syncopated playing. His gorgeous and sweet hit ³Rings,² ³Ya Mar,² a song Phish regularly covered, and a hushed, monotone version of Aerosmith¹s ³Sweet Emotion² all get island inspiration. The album¹s title refers to a staircase in Nassau that leads to the island¹s highest point. Like that point, ³Sixty Six Steps² provides a new perspective on two talented players. Review © 2005 Style Weekly (Richmond)