Leo Kottke is a low-keyed Minnesota artist. He doesn't wear make-up, has no banks of amplifiers, doesn't sing too well and doesn't even have long hair. His main asset is a glycerin set of fingers. When you're snowed in from Halloween to Mother's Day you've got to amuse yourself somehow. After repeatedly freezing his lips on the mouthpiece of his trombone, Leo switched to guitar.

Every Christmas, at...

A non-pretentious gem of an album from one of the three best steel-string, finger-picking guitarists alive. The other two being John Fahey and Robbie Basho, who still record for the enterprising Takoma label. Kottke started his career with Takoma with his marvelous, ground-breaking first album and then opted for the big time with Capitol. His last Capitol disc, entitled Mudlark, was muddied by...

With all the shit that has been released recently, it was a distinct pleasure to come across this album. No doubt you won't be able to find it in your local record store, but any hardships you must endure to obtain a copy are well worth the pure enjoyment this album provides. If all else fails, write directly to Takoma Records, P.O. Box 5403, Santa Monica, Ca 90405.

Kottke isn't a new addition to...