Grace --- Jeff Buckley --- 1994 (Columbia)
Lauded as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation by a whole host of stars, including Jimmy Page and David Bowie, Jeff Buckley released only one studio album before his untimely and accidental death in 1997. It has been cited by many of his contemporaries as one of their favourite, and has become a real influence on some upcoming musicians. I have to admit, I'm not a longtime fan or anything, and this is my first listen to the album that is considered one of those you really should hear before you die. So let's hear it.
I really don't get the opener, “Mojo pin”. It starts off almost imperceptibly, so quiet for the first few seconds that I had to look to see was anything happening with my media player. When it does get going it's a little confused, though the guitar is nice, and I have to say that it didn't make the impression upon me that I had expected it to. The title track is next, and is better, more cohesive, kind of reminds me of Nick Cave in some respects. Buckley was certainly a talented musician: here he not only plays guitar and sings, but also plays organ, harmonium, dulcimer and tabla.
Some nice slide guitar introduces “Last goodbye”, and it's a nice mid-paced song, good percussion. The guitar shapes most of the songs on this album though, and there's some good playing here. His vocal is clearer here, more distinct and you can actually hear what he's singing, unlike the previous two tracks. Nice organ work too. This is one of three tracks on the album written by Buckley alone, while he collaborates on four more.
His version of “Lilac wine” is soulful and personal, and although I've only ever heard till now Elkie Brooks' version, this is apparently based on a recording made by Nina Simone, and it's very stripped-down, whereas Elkie Brooks had a full orchestra behind her for her version, there are strings on the chorus here, but mostly just the acoustic guitar. I personally find Elkie's version more powerful and dramatic, whereas Buckley's is introspective, somewhat lonely, perhaps better suiting the theme of the lyric.
When you actually get to hear him, Jeff Buckley had a voice that could quite easily be mistaken for that of a woman. It's quite high, and the inflections seem female, especially on “So real”, with its sparse guitar line and minimal percussion, its beat verging on a semi-reggae rhythm. But of course it's the next track that he's best remembered for, and there's nothing negative you can say about his version of Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah”, which has become almost the standard for the song.
As a classic song, it's achingly beautiful, with its tender yet angry lyric, its simple melody and above it all the voice of Buckley soaring like a (sometimes avenging) angel. It's been copied, covered, and in some cases ruined (X-Factor, I'm looking your way!), but never bettered. Most people who know the song will admit this is their favourite version, even if they've heard the original. It could wring tears from a stone.
There's no point in saying which is the standout track, as there is absolutely no competition, but a good contender for second place is another of his solo-penned efforts, the blues ballad “Lover, you should've come over”, where he really gets to let loose. Great organ work paints a melancholy landscape to this song, while the ever-present guitar strums away. His version of Benjamin Britten's “Corpus Christi carol” is quite amazing, where he hits the sort of registers usually reserved for the likes of Aled Jones at Christmas! It's quite literally breathtaking, and on an album with a title like “Grace” it's extremely fitting. It's followed by the rockiest of the tracks, another Buckley original, called “Eternal life”, and you can definitely see the Led Zeppelin influence on this, but I find it a little jarring, especially after the sublimity of the last three tracks.
The album closes on “Dream brother”, a sort of eastern-sounding track that starts slow but builds up, with the addition of the Appalachian dulcimer giving the song a very arabic or oriental feeling. It's a good closer, but I'm left wondering what the fuss about this album is?
There are good tracks on this, certainly, some
very good, but I would not in any way rate it as a classic. Maybe it's more a musican's album; you have to understand the playing and the techniques to properly appreciate it? That's the only excuse I can come up with for my kind of non-appreciation (or at least, non-adoration) of this, Jeff Buckley's only studio album. It's good, but for me, it's no classic.
TRACKLISTING
1. Mojo pin
2. Grace
3. Last goodbye
4. Lilac wine
5. So real
6. Hallelujah
7. Lover, you should've come over
8. Corpus Christi carol
9. Eternal life
10. Dream brother