The album I decided to check out today is “Grace” (1994) by Jeff Buckley. I’ve never actually listened to him before, but his voice already sounds akin to his father’s, so this ought to be a great listen.
“Mojo Pin” has a great sort of airiness to it, and gosh does it have soul. I’m already glad I made the choice to check it out. Though a similar type of talent to his father, his style sounds totally different to me. This song is pretty sweet, and sounds like a great example of 90s rock meets soul. Man, Jeff has some pipes in this track. This is just the opening track and this could arguably be the main piece of many albums that I’ve listened to – it has the energy, the chaos, the soul, the drive, the direction – it’s got it all. Can’t wait to hear more.
“Grace”, the album’s namesake, sounds to me like an excellent folk rock piece. The delicately intricate guitars certainly confirm Buckley’s ear for music if it wasn’t already apparent, as well as his chops on the guitar. This track gets progressively more alternative rock and roll as it progresses, forgoing some of that folkiness for sensibilities of the 90s with a certain Buckley type of twist. To me, though I can’t really make this comparison without listening to more of them, this song sounds like a rock opera written by the Stone Temple Pilots – perhaps the Stone Temple Pilots just come across as that quintessential 90s rock sound in my mind. The song almost becomes a sort of antifolk track near the end.
Wow, the beginning of “Last Goodbye” really catches your attention well and drags you to the center of the musical soundscape this album creates. It’s such a feeling song as well; it’s something sort of bittersweet that can tug on the heartstrings. But gosh, its such a wonderful piece of music. It’s not stopping for anything, and the guitar riff is absolutely infectious. You get lost in the music so easily that it’s hard to even focus on the lyrics.
“Lilac Wine” really puts the focus on Buckley’s voice with a bluesy though positive sounding tune. This album might have to be added to my list of favorites of all time. “Lilac Wine” really slows the album down a bit, but it’s giving me the opportunity to breathe and process what I just listened to in the previous tracks.
“So Real” has such an interesting discordance to the tune, and Buckley makes it work wonderfully. The tension builds and Buckley just keeps dancing around it. Wow. The solo is utter chaos, but it’s amazing and cuts out to just Buckley’s voice, not even singing but more whisper-talking. Gosh, if Buckley hadn’t stamped his own mark in the world yet, he certainly did it with this track alone.
Next up is the highly-acclaimed cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. I’ve never heard this version until now, and it is vastly different. The guitar reverberates though it’s being played in a large church. This version is absolutely stunning, so incredibly soulful, it’s hard to not be moved by the track. If you haven’t heard Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah” yet, I recommend doing so. Buckley’s voice is so commanding, endearing, soft, and strong. I feel selfish saying that it truly saddens me that he departed from this world at such a young age because I would’ve loved to hear more of his voice and more of his work.
“Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” is the perfect acoustic track to follow up that incredible cover. The ringing out of the acoustic really breathes an entirely different air of authenticity to the album, if that’s even possible. The song picks things back up and really gets things grooving in a really inviting, loving song.
“Corpus Christi Carol” really adds a certain, almost gospel, type of layer to the album. My first introduction to this song was Jeff Beck’s version on “Emotion and Commotion” (2010), and Buckley’s voice truly sounds angelic in this version.
“Eternal Life” starts out sounding a stupid heavy mosh pit type song. The range of this album is absolutely insane. The guitar has this wonderful heavy, cheesy, loose, fuzzy tone that left my jaw open while just trying to follow it. The attitude from Buckley is awesome, his sound reaches a whole new level of that 90s grunge sound. This album is absolutely insane. 100% worth the listen to anyone who loves music – I’ll probably repeat that sentiment once or twice more. This song sort of ended up sounding like it could’ve largely influenced The Verve with their recordings later in the 90s, but I don’t know for sure.
“Dream Brother” starts with almost a shamanic introduction to the tune. Honestly it sort of reminds me of TOOL to a certain extent in that sense. I’m just guessing here, but this album was hugely influential to many acts that would gain fame throughout the 90s. I can’t believe I’m just hearing this all now for the first time.
“Forget Her” is a bit of a dirge, but it’s so fitting for the album. The album really is some sort of amazing conglomeration of different genres that Jeff Buckley puts on a true performance of in all facets of musicality. The guitar in the tune is absolutely ear pleasing and the whole thing truly jams out to tie the entire composition together. That swirling electric organ just really drives it all home, and the light strumming of the acoustic layered in is a cherry on top for me. I’d personally recommend this album to anyone who loves music or wants to dive deeper into it. It’s a wonderful composition, and well worth the 58 minutes that flew by in no time.
-A