Acoustic guitarists in the world of music are underrated. Seriously underrated. Sure, it is easy to recognise some of the greats of electric guitar playing, such as Jimi Hendrix, EVH or Stevie Ray Vaughan, but in the deep channels of musical history, there are some great acoustic players to match as well. Leo Kottke is one of those said acoustic guitarists. He has been around for many decades as a professional guitarist and has survived hearing damage and tendonitis to emerge as one of the unsung heroes of acoustic based playing. Using a fingerpicking method on acoustic guitar, he has certainly not sold out in his approach whatsoever. This album is one of his most popular releases to date. Let’s hear it and see where it takes us musically.

Standing In My Shoes begins with a catchy and decent drum beat, followed by some equally awesome and catchy slide guitars. Leo Kottke gets singing, and he sounds like a great Country musician here, in an Eric Clapton styled way. A deep and soulful listen, this is awesome musicianship throughout. There is some gorgeous slide guitar soloing, along with an organ to match. A simple, effective and catchy tune, this is certainly underrated for what it is. A brilliant listening experience, Leo Kottke resumes singing in the second half whilst the slide guitar sounds majestic and awesome. A really great tune to listen to, this has power and beauty from within. The instrumental sections in particular are highly memorable. Great song, and a very good start to this album.

World Turning is a Fleetwood Mac cover, and begins with some incredible bongo based percussion, some deep and melodic guitar work and a sense that something amazing is on this album. A fantastic listen that sounds like trekking through the Sahara Desert set to music, this does sound really awesome for what it is. The singing perfectly matches this album’s work, and this is indeed, a fantastic listen. A very beautiful and memorable piece of music that works well. This isn’t even the most popular song on this album, and it is a great song on its own in any case. That is how good this music is, a powerful listening experience. There is some Sitar in the second half that is reversed, which perfectly matches the mood and sound of the song. Absolutely brilliant music, it fades out towards the four minute mark, with crazy Sitar, and leaving you wanting more.

Dead End begins with some more excellent slide guitar playing, a dark groove and a catchy tune in general. Surely, this music is hugely underrated. This is a powerful and lively instrumental that changes with a dramatic flair and progression throughout. A simple, enjoyable and listenable tune that sounds really great, this is a wonderful listen with a lot of stop/start sections, which is unusual for acoustic based slide guitar music. In the second half, some keyboard enters in the background, which is different. The slide guitar playing and riffing throughout are awesome and majestic, taking one’s mind elsewhere to Southern USA. A really fine and great tune to listen to, this is a cleverly aimed and exciting instrumental that has a decent groove about it. A timeless tune with a good groove about it, it finishes up just after four minutes. Great music.

Vaseline Machine Gun is the hit song from this album, beginning with melodic slide guitar and a good backbeat to match. This is instantly memorable and catchy, and although there is no singing here, this is a winner of a tune. A really sweet sounding instrumental, Leo Kottke lives up to his legendary status with gorgeous slide guitar playing and musicianship here. A really great listening experience, this does sound amazing for what it is. Already this album is a classic album with these wonderful songs at hand. The catchy slide guitar riffing here is absolutely brilliant, and this sounds like Acoustic Country music for those of you out there who desire it. A really great piece of music and musicality. It finishes after three minutes, an awesome tune.

Corinna, Corinna begins with some pleasant guitar parts and sounds quite unique. Leo Kottke sings about missing a lover and he sings in a deep, yet tuneful voice. Nonetheless, the music here is just fingerpicked acoustic guitar and organ. There is a Led Zeppelin lyrical reference here from their own song that was on their first album You Shook Me that is lifted from there, but it is still a very original tune at hand regardless. The guitar soloing here is majestic and unique, with some nicely fingerpicked sections that sound great. A beautiful and lovely melodic tune that is simple, yet simply executed. There is very little extra production on this song, which makes it sound very simple and pretty in a humane way. The fact is that as technology has evolved, the art of performance has been lost over time. Leo Kottke proves otherwise, and he makes this tender love song come alive here. A genuinely great piece of music that is marvellous. Worth every minute of your time to listen to. An outstanding performance and an outstanding album as well.

Realm returns to the instrumentals, this one sounding a little Jazzy, although it is still acoustic slide guitar based. This is a throwback to the more traditional styles of yesteryear, but it sounds musical and majestic in modern terms. Nonetheless, there is never a dull moment on this album, and this is another really awesome instrumental. There is a shift in the melodic section present here in the middle, with some minimal organ and bongo styled percussion, before this returns to the main section at hand. A pleasant and wonderful listening experience, this is a great acoustic guitar based album that you must hear. Period. It ends with gentle percussion, bass guitar and twinkling melodies in the background. Excellent.

Cripple Creek begins with fluid and melodic acoustic slide guitar playing that is energetic and fantastic. Although this is an instrumental, it does sound really well played, interesting and catchy musically. This is proof that, perhaps, instrumentals aren’t as bad as people make them out to be. A joyous, lovely and lively piece of music, Leo Kottke sounds really great as a guitarist here, in particular. A really awesome tune to listen to, it has a great bunch of melodic harmonies and organ within to keep this going along nicely. A very enjoyable tune to listen to, this is a great musical experience. Definitely worth your ears.

Twice launches into action with fingerpicked acoustic guitar playing and harmonics, along with simple beats to enjoy. This is exactly what acoustic enthusiasts would love to hear, and the track itself is very, very good. A casual and refreshing listen, the slide guitar playing present is gorgeously melodic and totally enjoyable to listen to. A really excellent tune, this album is just near perfect for this style of music. The slide guitar playing present is also very awesome and delicious musical listening, and this piece of music is just mind-blowingly pretty and sounds great. Another essential listen, this is 100% worth it. A totally enjoyable song, with some brilliant playing throughout, this deserves some awards for perfect musicianship here. A great tune.

Across The Street begins with some lush acoustic guitar playing that is very moody sounding. Again, this is another instrumental but actions speak louder than words do, if you understand the importance of instrumental music. A really awesome and excellent listening experience, this sounds pretty and is an excellent set of arpeggios that are playing with excellence and finesse. A fluid, tender and emotional listen, this does really sound quite great, even decades after it was recorded and released. Deep and moving music, this tune uses dramaticism and harmonics to catch you emotionally. Great tune, and worth hearing, once again. It finishes nicely.

Don’t Call Me Ray begins with some electronic sounding drumbeats, fluid slide guitar playing, bass guitar and a catchy tune at hand. Again, this is a really fantastic effort by Leo Kottke. An enjoyable piece of music that is ideal for jogging around the local park with on your headset, Leo Kottke is a really great instrumentalist and musician, without a doubt or question. All songs on this album are really amazingly consistent and colourful, and it just sounds really beautiful and interesting music wise. A genuinely good piece of music, the drumming becomes fairly prominent in the second half here, and the music will make you smile. A really cool listening experience, this sounds very thorough as a tune. It ends with a nice chord strum, excellent.

Itchy is the last track on this album. It begins with a bass guitar that is melodic, slide guitar galore and an upbeat, riff based tune. This sounds really fresh and fantastic, with some interesting sounds persisting throughout. A really clever and awesome tune, this finishes off a fantastic album that still sounds as good today as it did in 1997. Really special and melodic listening, this is one of the best examples of acoustic guitar playing and albums out there for it. The melodies are very interesting, deep and colourful to listen to. A really gorgeous tune, this again is a gem. A great conclusion to a great album.

Leo Kottke is, without a doubt, an underrated and excellent guitarist. He shines as a solo musician, even after some near fatal physical conditions throughout his early life. For any fans of acoustic guitar based music, this is a really necessary listen. So, is it worth hearing? Absolutely, especially if you dig stripped back and simple acoustic and slide guitar based instrumentation, along with some deep singing as well.

A truly underrated winner of an album.

9/10