Tag Archives: Jeff Buckley

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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 #5,464: ‘Lover, You Should Have Come Over’ – Lana Del Rey (AI)

Yesterday we heard a computer-generated Jeff Buckley trying his hand at a Lana Del Rey song, and today a computer-generated Lana Del Rey is returning the favor.

For some reason, this clip segues from Del Rey’s vocals back to the original about two thirds of the way through, before switching back to Lana again. Not sure if that was a computer error or an attempt to make this more of a duet than a cover, but it makes for an interesting listen. You can kind of hear in real time the way one voice is morphed into the other.

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Song of the Day #5,463: ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’ – Jeff Buckley (AI)

One of the most popular uses of AI in the music space is the resurrection of dead artists. This technology allows us to hear (or at least pretend to hear) new material from singers who were sadly silenced. This is particularly poignant when applied to those who died young.

Jeff Buckley was just 30 when he drowned in 1997 having released only one studio album (1994’s wonderful Grace). Several posthumous releases have attempted to capitalize on his popularity, which is just a pre-AI form of exploitation. I’d argue that the AI efforts are less cynical because they aren’t rooted in capitalism.

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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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