As the leader of
Love Nut and
Myracle Brah,
Andy Bopp has been making a steady stream of fine records since 1996, but he hasn't made one quite like this before.
This Guitar Kills Singer Songwriters presents
Bopp and his music stripped to the bone -- these 12 songs feature just his voice and acoustic guitar, trading in the expansive pop vision of
Bopp's best-known music for a stark and intimate approach. Ten of these songs have previously appeared on albums by
Love Nut and
Myracle Brah, as if
Bopp has decided to record the rough demos for his tunes after the fact, and while
Bopp's fine voice and superb knack for a melody are on full display here, for the most part these no-frills versions lack the fire and the imagination of the original recordings. But
Bopp clearly understands the strengths of his songs and how to make them understood in a simple setting, and he's a warm and engaging presence on these sessions, reducing the widescreen splendor of these tunes but finding an emotional honesty and compassion that sets them apart from the originals.
Dave Nachodsky's production is clean and unobtrusive, and while at times this disc sounds like it could have been recorded in an afternoon, it also captures
Bopp on a good day, revisiting a few dusty gems from his back catalog with a clear eye and a fresh perspective. Hopefully
Bopp has more full-band music in the pipeline, but this side trip into the land of the unplugged certainly has its rewards for longtime fans.