Grace

Jeff Buckley | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 23, 1994)
• Original Release Date: August 23, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029DD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MiniDisc  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (576 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,428 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #3 in Music > Alternative Rock > Singer-Songwriters
  • #3 in Music > Folk > Contemporary Folk > Alternative Folk
  • #82 in Music > Pop > Adult Alternative

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Popular Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 23-AUG-1994

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

143 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful tragedy, March 4, 2000

By 

Sadiqa L. Dickens "anaisnine" (Jersey Shore, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grace (Audio CD)

There are certain songs or artists you remember hearing for the first time, the impression is/was so strong. Jeff Buckley is one such artist. At first you hear the voice-That Voice!-expressive, far-ranging, wailing falsetto and heart melting vibrato.A close clock on his voice is like combining the apex of robert plant with some van morrison and a little of his own father's(tim buckley) monstrous instrument. Next you hear the music-plaintive, melancholy , pleading, ethereal-Free. Stylistically he harkens back somewhat to 80's alternarock ala cocteau twins-but really his sound(other than cover songs) is all his own; highlights are the soaring, epic "grace" and the rainy-day blues of "lover you should've come other" to the wistful "mojo pin". The third and most important ingredient to this masterpiece is his honesty- when you this album , you hear Jeff Buckley, heart and soul. Every song , every note-whether his own or borrowed, is another thread in the weaving of his own personal story, musically and otherwise.All in all, rarely has a debut artist come onto the scene with impact of a jeff buckley. Alas the tragedy is that his musical legacy was impromptly halted. Jeff Buckley accidentally drowned in May of '97. Which makes this album and his subsequent, unfinished release "sketches for my sweetheart the drunk"-that much more precious, and that much more graceful-A.N.

62 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing and Graceful, January 19, 2000

By 

Cary S. Whitt "Tune Junkie" (Columbus,Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grace (Audio CD)

This could be one of the best CD's of the last decade. The songs are just beautiful and rich. Each track has lush textural arrangements and wonderful melodies. It can rock at times, ("Eternal Life, Grace") but its the slower more personal numbers that pull the listener in. Songs like "Lover, You Should of Come Over" paint a picture in your head so vivid you can hear the rain drops. The painfully powerful, "So Real" puts you in the relationship of the lovers in the song. It all comes down to Jeff being an amazing storyteller. His roots suggest a more folk approach to songs, but he leaves that behind, leaning more toward the MC5 and Leonard Cohen, than to Peter, Paul and Mary. Some people need some time to warm-up to his falseto-ish voice, but I think it's simply amazing, and so is this disc.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential - haunting, romantic, spiritual, March 9, 2004

By 

Strobe Lights And Blown Speakers (Louisville) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace (Audio CD)

Jeff Buckley released but one fully realized album during his all-too-brief stay with us on earth, but that album is one of the most passionate and spiritual albums I have ever heard. Imagine a fiery young singer/songwriter who is influenced by the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Smiths. Oh, and this dude has the most amazing voice ever. Also imagine his band (bassist Mick Grondhal, drummer Matt Johnson, guitarist Michael Tighe) knew his playing inside and out and acted more like a backing band for John Coltrane or Miles Davis than a traditional rock ensemble. Then you have a rough idea of the amazing album known simply as _Grace_.

_Grace_ beings with the beautiful "Mojo Pin," fading into a soft guitar line along with Buckley's gentle crooning. With Zeppelin-esque intensity the track grows stronger and louder to it's climax. The wonderful guitar work ties the song together while Matt Johnson's drumming accentuates each change of pace. "The welts of your scorn, my love, give me more/Send whips of opinion down my back, give me more" Buckley's singing builds, "Well it's you I've waited my life to see/It's you I've searched so hard for," soaring into the ether with the last phrase. This flows into the next track, "Grace", which serves as a beautifully fiery compliment to the atmospheric "Mojo Pin." The climax found within is glorious, with sweet guitar strumming and then Buckley belting out with incredible emotion: "And I feel them drown my name/So easy to know/And forget with this kiss/I'm not afraid to go" His voice now more intense than ever, nearly screaming "But it goes so slow". He holds the last note for what seems like an eternity.

The Gospel flavored "Lover, You Should've Come Over" moves from a harmonium opening to a solemn acoustic guitar backdrop grounded by Grondahl's tasteful bass playing. Over the sweet Hammond organ and the R&B styled backing vocals, Buckley builds the song to a desperate crescendo: "It's never over/My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder/It's never over/All my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her," his own fine guitar work adding to the beauty of the lyrics, "It's not too late."

The highlight of the album comes with Buckley's emotionally-jarring rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". It is as if Cohen wrote the song specifically with Buckley's voice and style in mind. As tender as the heart that broke to write this song, just Buckley and a guitar, he confesses to us: "Well maybe there's a God above/But all I've ever learned from love/Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you." The song is impossibly gorgeous - easily one of my all-time favorite songs. A minimal stripped back performance but with such a spiritual, devotional vocal. It has been known to draw tears to the eyes of lumberjacks.

_Grace_ has this incredibly spiritual, romantic feel to it that I can't describe. Buckley's extreme intensity and emotional sincerity make _Grace_ what it is - a flourishing achievement in every conceivable way.