Those in the folk circuit probably know Leo Kottke, an acoustic
guitar virtuoso if there ever was one. But those outside may never
have heard of the man.
Shame if you’re in the latter category. The man has been
releasing albums since 1969, and his acoustic shines through, even
over his embarrassing attempts to sing (this is not a slight —
Kottke once described his voice as “geese farts on a foggy
day”).
So an album titled
One Guitar, No Vocals would seem to be an examination of
what Kottke does best, but that’s not quite the case. Because of a
lingering hand injury, Kottke’s playing has slowed down quite a bit
from the 1970s, making this more of a classical guitar album.
Fortunately, Kottke does not sacrifice melody for speed, making
this a compelling listen for fans of the guitar.
The opener “Snorkel” alternates between gentle picking and an
intense strummed middle section, while “Morning is the Long Way
Home” is the most like the Kottke of old — quick, sprightly and
full of attitude. “Too Fast” is repetitive at first but speeds up
and adds odd chords to the finger-picking, while “Three/Quarter
North” is almost a love song, showing Kottke’s ability to veer into
singer-songwriter territory.
“Retrograde” sounds like a Dave Matthews backing track, moody
with the bass strings but hopeful on the higher strings, but it is
overshadowed by the even moodier “Chamber of Commerce,” which
starts with a sad arpeggio, veers into John Mayer territory and
then becomes firmly Kottke halfway through, with a half strum/half
picking technique that he is so good at. It’s the most complete
song on here and never gets repetitive.
Repetition is a bit of a problem here, even for a master like
Kottke. With only one acoustic guitar, the songs start to drag on
and interest wanes near the end of the album. It’s not that the
music is bad — only someone as talented as Kottke could pull off
the 9-minute “Bigger Situation,” and “Accordion Bells” breaks the
rules by throwing a light accordion behind the guitar. But even
virtuosos get old — does anyone honestly like sitting through all
26 minutes of “Dazed And Confused” when Jimmy Page plays the guitar
with his violin bow, for example?
In short, this is not Kottke’s best work, but it’s some of the
best acoustic guitar out there, and if you’re a fan of this
instrument or complex folk music in general, this is for you.
