Leo Kottke “Peculiaroso” <i> Private Music</i>

Leo Kottke is one of those rare artists whose latest album never differs radically from its predecessor, yet he never seems to be caught in a rut.

Oh, one time he might release an album full of instrumentals showcasing his wizardry on six- and 12-string guitars; another time, as with 1991’s “Great Big Boy,” devote the collection to his signature craggy vocals. But each time out, there’s no mistaking who is at work.

Perhaps it’s because this self-taught musician is in a class by himself to begin with.

Few singer-songwriters also qualify as virtuoso instrumentalists, a facet Kottke exhibits on the rhythmically off-kilter opening cut, “Peg Leg.” Few virtuosos can play blues with as much gutsy authority as Kottke manages on his version of “Poor Boy,” the oft-covered number by Bukka White and Kottke’s mentor, John Fahey. Even if they could, it’s unlikely they could then turn around and be as unabashedly romantic as Kottke is in performing the Platters’ melancholy “Twilight Time.”

And it’s hard to think of any other similarly well-rounded musician who also possesses the loopy sense of humor that can produce a song like “Turning Into Randolph Scott (Humid Child)”--one that is both a teasing and touching look at the road from childhood to adulthood.

“Peculiaroso,” yes, but also marveloso--as usual.