'Grace'
Label - Columbia.
Released - 1994.
I was reading a magazine article recently about Mark Greaney the lead singer of 'JJ72' who was doing an interview. He was asked who his musical influences were to which he replied Jeff Buckley. Now believe it or not I had never heard of Jeff Buckley until this point but made a mental note and thought no more about it. A few days later I noticed Jeff Buckley again in the sale section of my local record shop with this album 'Grace'. Remembering that he was in the magazine article I had read, I decided to buy it not knowing what to expect, parting with a fiver in the process. Was it a fiver well spent or not ??
Before I review the album I ought to give you a little background on the artist himself. Not knowing much about him personally I have been doing a little research and was more than a little surprised at what I found !
Jeff Buckley was the son of Tim Buckley, a legendary sixties folk singer who was notorious for dying of a heroin overdose at the premature age of 28. Jeff followed in his father's footsteps in more way's than one. Firstly he inherited his father's musical talents and voice - he performed in New York's clubs and coffee houses quickly becoming noticed in the early nineties. It wasn't long after that Jeff was given his big break and was snapped up by Columbia who signed him up on a million pound, three album contract. 'Grace' was the first of those three albums and sadly it was the last - Jeff was swimming in the Mississippi river in 1997 and sadly drowned in an accident. When he died his legacy was this album which is the only evidence we have of his undoubted talent.
The album is made up of ten songs, seven written
or co-written by Buckley himself and the other three covers.
The opening track 'Mojo Pin' has an unusual, haunting opening which floats along at a slow pace before the vocals cut in after about a minute. It's a very quiet opening and I wasn't sure what to think at the time. What was apparent though was Jeff's voice which could reach a range of notes - the song changes pace and his voice reacted with ease. I liked this song most for it's lyrics;
"Don't wanna weep for you, I dont wanna know,
I'm blind and tortured, The white horses flow,
The memories fire, The rhythms fall slow,
Black beauty I love you so"
I should also mention the good quality guitar work on this track and both this and the quality lyrics are a continuing feature of the album.
'Grace' the title track has a quicker tempo and a shorter intro. It had much the same style as the first track however which is difficult to compare to something else because it's like nothing I've heard of before. What hit me about this song was the lyrics again;
"There's the moon asking me to stay,
Long enough for the clouds to fly me away,
Well it's my time coming, I'm not afraid to die,
My fading voice sings of love,
But she cries to the clicking of time, of time"
A song about dying which when you listen to carefully makes you wonder if his death was an accident! Amazing lyrics considering what happened to him, sad really, emotional and very eerie.
'Last Goodbye' is personally my favourite song on the album. What is most impressive about it is Jeff's voice which lights it up. He had an exceptional voice and you can really tell on this track because of the vocal range needed to carry it off. As the title suggest the song is about the ending of a relationship and the 'Last Goodbye' - there are highs and lows and the lyric's are terrific. On first play of the album this song hit me most and it still does now.
"This is our last goodbye,
I hate to feel the love between us die,
But it's over, Just hear this then I'll go,
You gave me more to live for,
More than you'll ever know"
'Lilac Wine' is the first cover on the album and is about a man drinking Lilac Wine, waiting for his love who never arrives. Jeff sings this song which is lyrically beautiful throughout with vocal perfection. With every listen you can tell just how much effort he is putting into capturing the mood of the lyrics of the songwriter (James Shelton). It's quite a sad, delicate, sombre tune but the lyrics and melodic feel to it make it a must listen.
"Lilac wine is sweet and heady,
Where's my love?
Lilac wine, I feel unsteady,
Where's my love? "
'So Real' is in complete contrast to the very sombre 'Lilac Wine' pacewise and it needs outstanding vocals to carry off it's demanding chorus and climactic finale. Jeff delivers and in the process let's
a rockier more animalistic side to his talent off the leash a little!
' Hallelujah' was written by the Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen. A little surprising that this song with a religious feel to it should appear on the album but it's certainly worth a mention because it could have been an achilles heel and it certainly is not. The vocals are distinct and powerful here because they are accompanied by only an acoustic guitar. I would imagine that the original would have to be pretty damn good to match this version.
"I've seen your flag on the marble arch,
But love is not a victory march,
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah"
'Lover, You Should've Come Over' has what sounds like an Organ on it which makes it a little different sounding. Again it's beautifully written - a man waiting in vain for his lover to visit, the lyrics once again capture the mood, Jeff Buckley is very good at this, he doesn't overdo it either and he could easily do so, given his voice.
'Corpus Christi Carol' made me furrow my eyebrows! Corpus Christi is a College I frequented at Cambridge and this work by Benjamin Britten looked well out of place and although it's far from my favourite, Jeff still manages to do what he set out to do. His choirboy like vocal range enable him to hit the notes needed to carry it off.
'Eternal Life' is like nothing else on the album. It has a rocky, pacy feel to it and really goes well with the vocals. I would have liked to see more of Jeff doing this style if he had lived, I think it suited him. I don't know why but this sort of reminds me of 'Reef' that unmemorable Scottish band, stylewise.
"Eternal life is now on my trail,
Got my red glitter coffin man,
Just need one last nail,
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games,
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names"
'Dream Brother' ends the album in much the same vein as 'Mojo Pin' started it with a very haunting, melodic tone. Some of the best drumwork of the album also appears on this, the final track.
So as you may have already guessed, I really love this album and what a bargain I got for that fiver!
I cannot help but feel a little sadness every time I listen to it though, this man Jeff Buckley had all the talent in the world - he had the voice and had the musical abilities to enable him to capture any mood he wished to meet. His voice could be solemn and sad one minute and upbeat and happy the next. He engages quite a few styles in this album and could have gone in many directions had he lived. Another thing that is outstanding about the album is the lyrics which are very emotional, clever and imaginative. I think had he lived he would have become a great songwriter in the 'Bob Dylan' mould but I guess we will never know.
What if ??
===================WormVision2003
by (2%):
19.01.2005 19:43
I have never heard of this guy, or his dad. I'll have to check it out, especially if BP below is right. A great review. Steve :o)
23.03.2004 16:35
I've just discovered this album and I love it! Can't believe it's taken me so long!
16.03.2004 16:58
This is a excellent view of an excellent album. I am glad that you picked up this album. I defy anyone not to like it. Brilliant op.