Hate to spoil the surprise, but Dashboard Confessional always has been acoustic – nasal, whiny, sentimental acoustic. Some call this strange music ‘emo.’ Some people like it, too – weird.

The point of MTV’s Unplugged was to unplug an electric artist (Nirvana, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan) and listen to that particular artist pump out an audible Mona Lisa.

-Chris Carrabba’s latest attempt is exactly what was in their video that circulated the MTV2 circuit earlier this semester: Sad little boys, ready to take out the world or die crying.

America’s teenage population loves this band. Dashboard Confessional sings about topics teens can care about – making out, breaking up, drinking, heartache. This says more than Creed or any typical narcissistic nu-metal group can.

Seldom will Dashboard Confessional write a track about happiness, or anything happy. Dashboard Confessional is mostly one giant complaint, making tracks like “Turpentine Chaser” and “Saints And Sailors” nearly alike in form.

Carrabba sings passionately, too – strength is heard beneath his voice in “The Best Deceptions.”

“I’m giving you awayyyyyyy!!!,” Carrabba screams, the crowd roaring behind him.

I don’t buy it. Carrabba is long past his teen years. He’s an older man, a good looking dude that probably gets more women than most guys will see in a lifetime. Carrabba is in it for the bills, no doubt. And that’s about the most shameful act a musician can put on.

Otherwise, Dashboard Confessional’s Unplugged is pretty good. The songs recorded for this unplugged compilation, come from a large Dashboard Confessional catalog. He writes about topics that teens can relate to, even if he is a tad on the sucky superficial side.