HONOR ROLE

Fingerstyle guru Andy McKee’s first new studio effort in nearly a decade pays homage to Prince and Michael Hedges.

- JIMMY LESLIE

ANDY McKEE IS the epitome of solo acoustic excellence, and on his new album, Symbol (Mythmaker/Cruzen Street), the guitarist embraces his role as one of the planet’s premiere percussive fingerstyle ambassadors. Three of Symbol’s six songs are covers honoring his most influential heroes, Preston Reed, Billy McLaughlin and Michael Hedges. McKee also conveys reverence for Prince, with whom he toured Australia in 2012, by milking every drop of meaning from “Purple Rain” without uttering a syllable. McKee’s rendition is actually quite straightforward considering the advanced techniques at his command, and it is majestic in its modesty. He allows the starkly exposed melody to speak for itself, and this version will surely spur other players to give it a shot.

The penultimate track pays homage to McKee’s other obsession, video game music, and he renders the symphonic “Streets of Whiterun” with expansive beauty on harp guitar. The acoustics on Symbol sound deep and lush, which is particularly impressive, considering McKee recorded at home using a single Mojave Audio MA-200 microphone to capture his Greenfield guitars. The album was mixed by solo finger stylist and former Guitar Masters tour mate Antoine Dufour.