Elliott Smith

Which came first, "MTV Unplugged," or the tendency for singer-songwriters to do solo acoustic tours? Ostensibly, these artists (usually guys) say they want to explore pure songs without the production distractions that may have made the songs popular in the first place (personally, I can't separate the genius of Elvis Costello's early work from the contribution made by the Attractions). But I suspect the real reason is that some singer-songwriters are tired of hauling a band around and sharing decisions.

Elliott Smith, the Portland, Ore.-bred singer-songwriter who shot to semistardom when his song "Miss Misery" was nominated for an Oscar several years ago, has more credibility as an acoustic solo performer since his songs are, for the most part, quiet and uncluttered. But despite his slacker demeanor, Smith is also a perfectionist. It's a quality that served him well when he was an indie troubadour but since moving to the majors this perfectionism has translated into production filigree; things like strings and overdubbed backing vocals and lots of atmospheric reverb.

In any case, Smith's songs aren't "folk" by any stretch of the imagination. His strengths as a pop melodist are complemented by a sophisticated guitar style, and as he proved on his last Japan tour, when he was backed by the two-person band Quasi, he knows how to arrange. Most of Smith's boosters, critics and fans alike, say they love him for his sweet, strangled vocals and bitter, sad lyrics, but without his sharp musical sense he'd be simply another moody young man.