Scooter Chronicles

Jeff Buckley - “Grace”

Tracks:

1. Mojo Pin
2. Grace
3. Last Goodbye
4. Lilac Wine
5. So Real
6. Halleujah
7. Lover, You Should’ve Come Over
8. Corpus Christi Carol
9. Eternal Life
10. Dream Brother

I was reminded of this one after the former co-worker that introduced Jeff Buckley to me posted a comment here on my site.

Of all the singer/songwriter style albums I have heard, this is probably the ultimate. It has so many unique qualities about it that it’s hard to describe. There is a real magic about it, with what sounds like some intense emotions. And for a singer/songwriter album it has some strange sounds and approaches to songs, giving it a feeling that it crosses styles and genres.

“So Real” was the first song that I ever heard off this album. I was totally dumbfounded by it, because it sounded so strange. It displayed incredible dynamics, a theme the whole album takes on. The best part of the song is the fierce and quick guitar solo, followed by the softly spoken words “I love you” without any music. Then as the music starts again, softly like at the beginning of the song, and Buckley whispers “But I am afraid to love you.” Intense is the word that keeps coming to mind.

Other songs on the album, as I said before, show some great dynamics within the song, or just by being on the album with it’s songs of vast differences in tone and structure. “Last Goodbye” is so catchy it hurts. It is a sad subject, but you can’t help humming or whistling the melody days after hearing it. “Eternal Life” really rocks, almost sounding too hard for a singer/songwriter type, but fits well with the rest of the album. Buckley also seems to display his faith (maybe) or he just liked the songs, those being the cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Halleujah” and the cover of “Corpus Christi Carol”. He does a great job on each channeling the emotion.

The title track is another catchy song that could have been a great single, with an intelligent sound to it. “Mojo Pin” is a great album opener, taking a good minute to build up so that you can hear it without having to turn the volume up full-bore. Then there is the cover of “Lilac Wine”, which is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard in the world of pop-rock. I also like the album closer “Dream Brother”, giving a nice emotional finish to the album.

At the time I first heard this album, I was really stuck on Duncan Sheik’s debut album, another singer/songwriter. It flowed so well and had some excellent songs. This one made me quickly forget about Sheik’s album. Though I still love that one since it was one of my favorites as POSTED earlier. But there is so much in Buckley’s album that it would make even the staunchest critic stand up and recognize this as an incredible piece of work.

Sadly this is the only true full length album we have of Buckley’s work. He was in the process of writing and recording his follow-up to this in late May of 1997 when he drown while swimming fully clothed in the Mississippi River outside Memphis, Tennessee. And for those that are wondering, yes Jeff is the son of Tim Buckley who died of a heroine overdose in 1975. Jeff was neither drinking or using narcotics at the time of the accident. From what I read he might have gotten caught in the wake of a passing boat. It brought about the loss of a great songwriter regardless of the circumstances.