As a devotee of the three minute pop song, it is somewhat unusual to find myself writing words on an album of examples of exemplary guitar skills rather than commenting on lyrical eloquence or skilled arrangements but that is how it was with Tony Skinner’s album “The Acoustic Composer”.
These songs will, in all likelihood, be the equivalent of a steak dinner to guitar aficionados as, whilst simply recorded, they feature a plethora of guitars that most musicians could only dream of owning. Said simple recording techniques also allow the subtle, and some not so subtle, variations in the guitar maker’s art over the years to be made both clear and convincing and, while “The Acoustic Composer” was always more than a mere academic exercise, it is to Tony Skinner’s credit that he uses his wide selection of musical weapons to illustrate his compositions rather than as mere demonstrations of sonic differences.
It is perhaps true that this album is unlikely to mean much to a general audience but, amongst those who know their guitars, “The Acoustic Composer” will undoubtedly find friendly ears.