Jeff Buckley - Grace

Resembling at times a soft-sung Robert Plant, Buckley was an intuitive vocalist capable of dizzying arabesques and choir-boy sweetness. He is joined here by a tight band for 10 tracks highlighting his stylistic range--Pearl Jam bluesy on "Eternal Life," impossibly serene on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," art-school noisy on "So Real," Led Zep daring on "Mojo Pin." Unorthodox, this was the debut of '94. --Jeff Bateman Amazon.com

astonishing

I'd never heard of Jeff Buckley until yesterday but after listening to Hallelujah on You Tube I went out found his CD. There won't be any more music from Buckley because of his tragic early death but thank goodness he recorded this.

Every song on the CD is great but the one that stands out above them all is his version of Hallelujah. The song was recently remade by the winner of Britains X Factor (their version of American Idol) and her version is pretty but this is a man's song. And of all the men who've sung it, this is forever Buckley's song. Some people are calling it a hymn and maybe in their patchouli sented alternate universe it is, but this song is about a man who is in total, desperate love. It's a love gone wrong but he's hanging on to this woman life a drowning man because she's gotten into his blood and there is no life without her.

This tortured man in love song belongs up there with Otis Redding singing "I've Been Loving You Too Long," Johnny Cash singing "Hungry,", George Jones singing "He Stopped Loving Her Today," Pavarotti singing "Nessun Dorma", Johnny Lee Hooker singing "I Cover the Waterfront" and anything Sinatra sang while Ava Gardner was making him crazy. From the first exhausted sigh to the final screamed Hallelujah, this song will send chills down your spine.

All in all, it's an astonishing body of work. December 21, 2008

Won't gush, or be effusive 'bout it...

I'd never really heard of Jeff Buckley and wasn't particularly interested in alternative music in the '90's. I heard one song from his posthumous release, and absolutely loved it. So I had to know more about him. Tragic thing that such promising talent was cut short. I saw the video for "So Real" and was enraptured. Maybe it had something to do with its siren-like, haunting chorus; couldn't get that damned song/his vocals outta my head for days. He sings the hell out of this track...to me anyway. That's why I bought this album. Having researched further, "So Real" was a song that wasn't supposed to make the cut and one Jeff Buckley really liked. I can't explain it, but somehow I feel him more in this song; maybe this was the sound/style he wanted to achieve (?). While there are great songs on this album like 'Mojo Pin' --an childhood crush/ode to his rock heroes Led Zeppelin--popchart/Top 40 friendly "Last Goodbye", and "Grace", I can't really say that I was exactly raving like others about it. I love Buckley's soulful voice, its range, and genre-crossing quality, but the love songs can be a bit gooey, and maudlin ("Lover You Should've Come Over","Lilac Wine" cover). I really don't understand people's fascination with "Hallelujah"...does absolutely nothing for me, it just drones. "Dream Brother" is very hypnotic, dark, and trippy; there's no denying the power of that song and is a favorite of mine. For me this album sounds to be an "experiment" in sounds and genres. I got a sense of a young artist who's just released an album and not quite sure in which musical direction he wants to go. I believe that was the case for Jeff Buckley; he was afraid this album made him come off as "soft". And, to be honest, it does. You get a sense of the undiscovered/"days of Siné" Buckley, and the side that wants to "rock out". There's no doubt that this man would've/could've done so much exploration with his music and been successful, though not hugely popular--as I don't think it would appeal to those with simple taste. No doubt he [has] garnered a cult-like following and many intrigued, respectful admirers like myself in life and death.

Strangely enough, I can't seem to take this cd out of my car... December 18, 2008

Hatchet Job Hallelujah

The solemn and elegiacal power of Leonard Cohen's beautiful "Hallelujah" is completely subverted by Jeff Buckley. It is painful and somehow embarrassing to hear. Even if you do not care for Cohen generally his own rendition is superior to Buckley's pointless and insipid cover. Honors must go to John Cale who in addition to bringing the requisite solidity and subtle strength to this song also carries the tune with just the right passion. The only good song on this album is Corpus Christi Carol but it never made the album worth keeping. December 12, 2008

Just 2 or 3 songs

Got this cd based on the song Hallelujah and everyone giving it such great reviews. Let me just say I am completely disappointed. I listened to it twice to give it the benefit of the doubt and found there are are only 2 or 3 songs I would ever wanna hear on this album ever again. November 3, 2008

This is a must have album~!!!

Not sure why I'd not heard about this album until last week. Thank goodness for Amazon's recommendation!

What a gift this young man left us so shortly before his tragic death! That voice, oh his voice!! This is timeless, beautiful, lush album...

I would have wanted to know before I purchased this album that I would become addicted. Hallelujah is so raw, you can feel it in your bones. Corpus Christ Carol... the vocal range, the vocal control is almost unearthly. Then going into Eternal Life, you cannot believe it's still him, his ability to move his voice around a song is uncanny.

This is a treasure of music, lyrics, melodies, and that hauntingly beautiful voice. October 16, 2008

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