Tag Archives: Grace

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Song of the Day #6,577: ‘Lilac Wine’ – Jeff Buckley

Continuing my list of best debut albums (with quite a few caveats)…

Jeff Buckley – Grace (1994)

Last week I wrote that Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the most successful debut album that ended up being its artist’s only studio release. Jeff Buckley’s 1994 Grace is the runner-up.

Recorded by the singer-songwriter in his mid-20s, this critically acclaimed album showcased Buckley as a true triple threat — equally adept at writing songs, playing guitar, and singing. He had the chops to be a creative force for decades to come, but sadly died by drowning at just 30 years old.

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Song of the Day #5,033: ‘Lover, You Should Have Come Over’ – Jeff Buckley

Continuing my look at 1994, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.

#6 – Grace – Jeff Buckley

Jeff Buckley isn’t really part of the collective pop culture consciousness anymore. I can’t recall the last time I heard a song of his on the radio, or in a TV show or movie.

Even ‘Hallelujah,’ the Leonard Cohen song Buckley turned into a near religious experience and an unlikely hit, has now been covered by so many other artists that his definitive version is unlikely to surface before anybody else’s.

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Song of the Day #2,334: ‘Eternal Life’ – Jeff Buckley

buckleyHere’s a “great” album that I never listen to.

Jeff Buckley’s Grace, a brilliant debut to be sure, took on iconic status when he drowned a few years after its release. Its mix of soaring vocals, acrobatic guitar work and ambitious song structures heralded a fierce talent who would sadly never get to reach his potential.

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Song of the Day #1,335: ‘Hallelujah’ – Jeff Buckley

Best 90s Artists – #6 – Jeff Buckley

Today’s artist is the second on this list whose music is confined to the 90s not because of the whims of the marketplace but because he died. The first was, of course, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain.

I wonder, had Kobain lived, if Nirvana would still be around today. And if not, would Dave Grohl still have gone on to form Foo Fighters, as celebrated a rock band as we have in 2012?

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Song of the Day #114: ‘Last Goodbye’ – Jeff Buckley

buckleyI’m glad I didn’t really know anything about Jeff Buckley until he was dead. He was a special talent and it must have been heartbreaking for his fans to lose him so soon after he entered the scene.

His debut album Grace (the only album released before his accidental drowning death) is a sublime work of art… a mix of soaring guitar work, poetic lyrics and other-worldly vocals. It contains the definitive version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah,’ which has since been covered by just about every alternative artist with a recording contract (as well as an American Idol contestant). But his original songs, including ‘Grace,’ ‘Lover, You Should Have Come Over,’ ‘Lilac Wine,’ and today’s song, ‘Last Goodbye,’ are where he really shone.

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