When you're dealing with the carefully nuanced work of a songwriters' songwriter like Richard Shindell, the dynamite is in the details. So an album like this—which offers sparsely arranged new versions of fan favorites and deep cuts from earlier albums—is a godsend for anyone looking to investigate Shindell's rewarding, complex canon. On the most immediate level, it doesn't hurt that the troubadour's appealingly craggy baritone is front and center. This results in subtle shadings of emotion in his delivery, not to mention easy access to Shindell's seamlessly poetic lyrics. Recording these songs in such an intensely intimate way allows for a microscopic focus that could ring the death knell for lesser material, but Shindell's work thrives in this hothouse atmosphere. The worm's-eye view of his characters, from the invidious immigration inspector in "Fishing" to the biblical icon in "The Ballad of Mary Magdalene" and the weary traveler in "The Next Best Western," reveals a richness that's rare among even the best writers.