Review Summary: Buckley has all the qualities needed to be a great solo artist and shows this on his album "Grace".
If Jeff Buckley were alive today he be considered one of the great solo artists of the 21st century. Now this may sound bold, but he has all the qualities needed to be a excellent solo artist: he has an extremely powerful voice, he has experimentation in his music, he can produce classic songs easily, and he is a great song writer. There is no album that shows Jeff’s qualities and potential better than the album, “Grace”.
Jeff’s singing ability is unbelievable; this is some of the best singing I have heard on a rock album in a while. Jeff hits so many high notes and he makes it seem so easy and effortless. He also shifts the tone of his voice easily as seen in the song “Mojo Pin”, the opening song of the album. You can really tell the level of emotion Buckley puts into his singing. He sings soft for most of “Hallelujah”, but the emotion and level of intensity he puts into the lyrics he is singing is unbelievable. You can tell that he took his time on each song to make sure he was singing the song correctly. Jeff diversity in his voice is another thing that makes him special; his lyrics he is singing can haunt you like in the chorus of “Grace”, or they can uplift you like at the peak of “Lover You Should’ve Come Over”. He voice can literally be so sad that it reminds you Kurt Cobain or Thom Yorke, or it can be so uplifting that it reminds you of Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder. This is a guy that can hit difficult high notes with ease, that can change the tone of his voice within seconds, and he really has a great diversity in his voice. Jeff’s voice is something that would make him one of top solo artist of today.
Buckley’s songs can change rhythm or beat so quickly and with ease. When you listen to the opener “Mojo Pin” and how quickly the song progresses from a soft song to a hard song it almost reminds you of The Beatles “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”. When you see the haunting soft chorus of “Grace” suddenly turn into a complete one-minute jam session it reminds you of something from a Dave Matthews concert, When you see the instrument changes on “Last Goodbye”, you run out of outlandish comparisons because Jeff Buckley’s music is so original and heartfelt. “Lover You Should’ve Come Over” is an epic song with so many changes and climax’s it is a very excellent song that shows the level of experimentation in Buckley’s music. This is the climax of the album for me because it shows all the four qualities mentioned above that would make Buckley successful. Buckley shows sort of a weird reggae Bob Marley feel on the song “Lilac Wine”, but the song is so atmospheric and beautiful that the song is great. It is probably one of the softest songs on the album but Buckley’s lyrics and calmness make this an awesome song. The diversity in the sound of music from Buckley makes “Grace” a great album.
Jeff has an ability to produce classic songs that would have only gotten better over time. “Hallelujah”, is a song that shifts rhythms many times, features Jeff belting out high notes left and right and just really has some classic moments. To me this is the moment of the album where you know that Jeff would have made a great artist. He has all the qualities needed to excel. “Mojo Pin” is one of the best intros to an album I have heard in a while; it is rare that you are going to find a song that changes sound and is this catchy, but Buckley pulls it off here. “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” is described above and is a incredible song. The closer to the album “Dream Brother” is one of the most atmospheric and beautiful songs I have heard in a while. The song sort of sounds likes a Radiohead song because it is complex instrumentally and Jeff lyrics just match the beat perfectly. Jeff has an uncanny ability to produce classic songs on “Grace” and it proves what a great artist he is.
Jeff is just an excellent songwriter, if he was alive today there would be a chance that his songwriting would be compared to a lot of other great song writers. “Lilac Wine” is just a perfect example of what a quality songwriter Buckley is. Buckley had all the qualities to make a beautiful album in “Grace” and Buckley has all the qualities to be a prominent solo artist if he were alive today.
Jeff Buckley: “Grace”
Pros:
Excellent songwriting
Great experimentation
Uncanny singing ability
Cons:
Some songs aren’t that catchy
Jeff still could have worked on some things
Individual song ratings:
1. Mojo Pin 5/5
2. Grace 4/5
3. Last Goodbye 4.5/5
4. Lilac Wine 4/5
5. So Real 4/5
6. Hallelujah 5/5
7. Lover You Should’ve Come Over 5/5
8. Corpus Christi Carol 3.5/5
9. Eternal Life 4/5
10. Dream Brother 5/5
4.6/5
