Reviews (page 6 of 16)
Interesting album. At the start I wondered whether I was still listening to Radiohead but I enjoyed the twists and turns as the album evolved
One of those albums that I have to be in the right mood for. But he has an amazing ability to interpret a song (compare Lilac Wine and Hallelujah to any other cover you can find and his versions are better). Goodness only knows what levels he'd have achieved if he'd lived longer. What a loss.
Amazing voice, melancholic instrumentals
Favorite Track: So Real
A beautiful album and a new favourite of mine. I especially liked forget her
Great album. I love it
I wanna give it a higher rating, I really do. "Hallelujah" is just so fantastic, and it jump-started a reevaluation of that song and Leonard Cohen overall. But I didn't find any other songs to be even close to as good. The earlier songs almost got there, but the more electric songs at the end really turned me off. I will definitely do a re-listen and will share as a way to come back and revise my rating if I am currently wrong
"Lover, you should've come over"... I felt it! Loved this entire album!
Wasn't expecting much but what a great surprise this album was. Amazing voice and kudos to the production.
Banger
mardy
Really sad, like someone needed to ask him if he was okay.
Good album. Saved a track. Hallelujah threw me off
10/10, no notes, beautiful album, i miss him
IT'S NEVER OVEEEEEER
Favourites: 1. Forget Her 2. Lover, You Should've Come Over 3. Dream Brother Least Favourite: Corpus Christi Carol
Lindo. Brilhantemente lindo, este disco. Composições ternas e extensas, mas ainda mantendo um ar contido e introvertido, uma dança bonita. A voz de Buckley é supremamente potente, e as canções fazem completo uso de seu incrível alcance. Quando falo da ternura da voz de Buckley, guitarras potentes não são a primeira coisa que vêm à mente como o acompanhamento instrumental… mas é exatamente o que temos aqui. Acho ótimo esse contraste entre a aspereza dos instrumentais e a doçura dos vocais. Comparação manjada, mas Radiohead definitivamente pegou uma página do livro de Jeff em The Bends e OK Computer, dois discos que eu amo. O álbum, e talvez Jeff Buckley como um todo, flerta muito com a possibilidade de ser clichê. Sabe, o clichê do artista boêmio sofredor? E apesar disso, o álbum ainda traz muita originalidade, e é musicalmente alavancado por uma curadoria impressionante, ainda mais para um disco de estréia. Eu entendo quem se sente mal pensando na morte prematura do artista e em tudo que ele poderia ter feito em sua carreira. É uma sensação impossível de despistar, ela persiste toda vez que ouço qualquer canção de Buckley. Tenho uma opinião controversa, onde acredito que os covers são a parte mais fraca do álbum. A versão de Jeff de Lilac Wine não me agrada muito, acredito que a composição não é tão progressiva quanto o restante das canções, onde a voz de Buckley costuma crescer e diminuir organicamente e satisfatoriamente. Hallelujah é melhor, certamente, mas ainda não enxergo o hype que todo mundo coloca aqui, é uma composição bonita mas sinto falta de uma instrumentalização mais requintada. Queria ouvir mais composições originais dele, pois é claro que esse era um ponto fortíssimo de sua virtuosidade, só ouvir a faixa So Real, que aparentemente foi gravada em apenas um único take, e você verá que tenho razão. Forget Her, Mojo Pin, Grace, Lover You Should’ve Come Over… O cara era bom. Poderia ser um pouco mais curto, mas já comecei a procurar pelo em ovo. Não é meu disco favorito nem nada assim, mas os pontos altos do álbum são inimaginavelmente altos, e os pontos baixos são no máximo poças rasas. Eu até acredito que esse álbum seja superestimado, especialmente desde que as gerações mais novas o redescobriram através de agressivos algoritmos, mas sendo completamente justo, isso não retira o mérito do disco. Um 5 legal. 5/5
Creo que los inicios de las canciones son muy buenos pero a medida que avanzan las cancio es pierden un poco su camino principal, aunque se recupera esa armonía en las últimas canciones cuando se crean mezclas mejor pensadas y sin tantos cambios abruptos
I mean come on it's JB. Vocals are killer on this, I mean truthfully everything is. Hallelujah is still one of the best covers of all time. Vocals are a clear inspiration for Myles Kennedy and God Bless him for that. easily 9/10
I've been wanting to listen to this album for a while but didn't get the chance yet. Some parts sound very familiar. His voice sound soft yet raw. This album has a very unique sense of style and I will definitely listen to some of these songs again. This is definitely an album that you should listen to at least once in your life. This album is an emotional masterpiece!
I loved hearing Hallelujah in context. It is crazy to hear a song I know so intimately situated in between songs I have never heard. But the whole thing had a nice flow and overall a great listen.
Admittedly like most people I only knew hallelujah from this album. Throughout my listen, I was really surprised that while wonderful, it didn’t even make my top 3 song choices. Wonderful album that will be added to my regular rotation.
boundless emotion
This is like the ur-90s coffeehouse singer Really not my thing
Perfect, no notes. Forgotten how good some of these songs are
Lover Come Over in my opinion, and generally accepted as the best song in this album. I personally find the rest of the album underwhelming.
Hallelujah.... evening backing music
Just wow. What an extraordinary talent.
𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 shows just how astonishingly flexible Jeff Buckley’s voice was — probably the most versatile and emotionally expressive in 90s indie rock. He moves effortlessly between tenderness, intensity and near-operatic soaring, giving the album a sense of unpredictability and depth. The songs range from intimate to explosive, all tied together by his distinctive phrasing and sense of drama. His version of 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗷𝗮𝗵 is so fully inhabited and heartfelt that it arguably surpasses Cohen’s original. Listening to 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 always carries a bittersweet edge: it’s a stunning debut, and it’s hard not to wonder what else he might have created.
Belo disco! Sensível e com muita técnica. QoA Adonis New.
Não gostei e não escutei inteiro mas entendo pq gostam
Very good, reminds me a lot of the original Hadestown album, and his voice sounds really similar to the guy who plays Orpheus. The guitar riffs were cool, and I liked the general vibe and tone. The highlight is obviously "Lover, You Should Have Come Over"; I don't think I've ever heard such an honest, painful look at a relationship from hindsight, especially from a man. It's just such a yearning song; it's incredible. And the see-sawing between maturity and immaturity that Buckley feels in the song, I also found incredibly relatable. That song in particular feels like it fits right into my life right now and this odd new taste that I'm developing... I might have to watch a video or two on this album to understand it fully. I'm not very good at interpreting art, but I enjoyed it; I would listen again. Oh! And his cover of Hallelujah felt like a really perfect addition with the tone, and I thought it was a really cool vibe for that song!
Not my typical listen, but this album has range. Angst, fun, head bangers, and some softness. This is quite a sad album if you listen closely. It’s the processing of a heartbreak. Last goodbye vs Lilac Wine especially painfully contrast each other and show the path of healing - and how it’s awfully not linear.
Dark and moody with sultry vocals. A little dreary for my taste, but pretty solid
Not my favorite.
7.8
obra magna. todos que deram uma estrela pra esse álbum vão morrer e vão para o inferno!
Lots going on Sometimes very larger than life feel. Hallelujah Made me Google John Wayne Gacy to get even more gruesome details. Did not like that. Also felt all over the place so didn’t give me that album feel.
Kende hem van lover you should've come over maar voor de rest mooi album maar niet hellemaal mijn nummers
Hallelujah and Lilac Wine- top songs. Slow listening, a bit boring. Corpus Christi Carol was just plain weird.
Cash out
A life where I don't give this five stars wouldn't be worth living.
Holy crap! This album was so awesome. One of the very few that demanded my presence from the beginning. The songs are so emotive and the sound is all-encompassing. Such great use of build-up, release, and serenity. His cover of Hallelujah has always been a beautiful song, but in the context of the album it is amazing. This instantly is one of my favorite albums, after one listen.
you do know him
The guy has a nice voice, but I feel like some of the hype is amplified by his untimely death. Too much Mariah Carey-esque flourishes for my liking.
I wish that I would’ve gotten this album later when I knew how I wanted to review them. But this album is really good genuinely a blend of different genres with beautiful lyrics and expression of yearning.
good way to start off the list!
Overall: I’ve heard 1/11 songs before. 5/10 it’s not my thing, but I guess if I squint I can see why gen x white men get off on it. Will not be buying this one or re-listening unless I’m accidentally overdosed by an edible.
one of the best albums of all time yep
I know that album
Favorite track: Lover, You Should’ve Come Over
My Lord, Buckley's voice on this is incredible. Some of the songs are 5s on here ("Lover, You Should've Come Over" is so so so good) but I wasn't rapt the entire album.
I get the melodramatic critique, but the bass line on Last Goodbye is one of many great touches on this album
Nice
perfect! loved this album, 10/10
So peak
The production on this album is something special. It’s raw, polished, balanced, and dynamic. One of the most incredible pieces of music to ever blessed my ears.
Devastating, can see why it’s a classics.
HALLELUJAH
I love his voice but would hardly relisten
The dude had the GOAT voice.
This was my favourite album of all time at one point in my life. There was something truly special about that man, RIP
While I neither need or want to hear “Hallelujah” again as long as I live, the rest of the album still feel strikingly singular, even considering how influential it has been. For how often Buckley’s keening falsetto and lovelorn lyricism have been imitated by indie bands over the years, few if any of them were able to create albums as feral as Grace feels. It truly sounds like an album he had to wrench out of himself because not doing so would be unbearable.
This album is a masterpiece. The amount of emotion portrayed through each song is unmatched. You can hear and even feel his emotions through his singing, making listening a melancholy experience. The instrumentals aren’t super complex, but they do a great job at supporting the vocals and helping them create a bigger impact. I also love the use of low guitar riffs and the organ throughout the tracks, adding a unique texture. My favorite track is Forget Her because of the sheer emotion in his voice and the build within the instrumentals at the end. It’s always the song I find myself belting whenever it comes on. It never fails to get me in my feels.
Odlican album, bas mi je bio prikladan u trenutku slusanja, ubacio me u neki “mood”. Trebala bi ga poslusat ponovo, ima par pisama koje su mi bile bas super.
This album left me dazed and confused.
I love his voice but would hardly relisten
Some nice songs
Easily my favourite Album I've listened to so far through this. My favourite tracks are Lover, You Should Come Over and So Real. Buckleys Version on Hallelujah is also incredible, but I feel like its hard to fuck up a pretty much perfect song. His voice is incredible, just goes straight into my heart and soul. Makes me sad for all the music we never got to hear him sing.
Bit boring
Outstanding album but is it just perhaps insanely sequenced? Starting with perhaps the most formless track on the album and playing the show stopping Hallelujah in the middle so as overshadow all of side and make Corpus Christie Carol, a great track in it’s own right feel like a bit more if the same by coming in just a couple of tracks later. The same songs in a different order… and you’ll maybe shape an album that’s already pretty good into the best of the 90s? I can’t quite figure out Buckley in a way. He feels like an anachronism. Sometimes feeling like a lost folk rocker from the late 60s like Nick Drake or his father. Sometimes pointing towards the chamber folk / indie work of the early 2010s. In the mid 90s there’s not really any good comparison to be made. Highlights: Grace, Last Goodbye, So Real, Lover You Should Come Over, Eternal Life, Corpus Christie Carol
Bardzo mi się podoba 💖 zapisałam sobie ten album
Visceral and beautiful
i have listened to this a dozen times over the last 25 years as so many people love it. i don't see what they see but it's miles ahead of his dad's shit
Feel like I should feel something from these songs but I just don't really feel anything.
Beautiful, tragic, an all round incredible album. RIP Jeff Buckley
raw soulful album. gets you invested in the song, beautiful to listen to
An incredible album that reaches into your chest and plucks at your soul like it's a string on a harp
Nothing too memorable about this one. Greta voice though.
9/10 - This is a Top 30 album for me. Love the songwriting, the music, the vocals. One skip in my opinion.
One of the best alt rock/singer songwriter albums of the 90's. Jeff Buckley's voice is unreal. There are a few songs that I don't feel too strongly about (Eternal Life and Lilac Wine), but they aren't bad. Strong 8/10
I have always liked this album. After hearing Hallelujah for the first time in middle school I became a huge fan of Jeff Buckley for the entire year. (like everyone probably) Grace is an awesome title track and was probably the reason for me getting into Bastille and Mumford&Sons in the months after. I still get chills when I hear the intro of Last Goodbye. It's a little perfect song to listen to when solo-travelling by train which I'm coincidentally doing while writing this review. Lilac Wine has a perfect build-up and when the refrain starts it hits every time. So Real doesn't feel that special but it probably has the best instrumental of the entire album. The solo sounds so raw and ends so abrupt, I really like it. And what's there left to say about Hallelujah? Most-likely the best cover ever made. I'm a big Johnny Cash fan but even he admits this version is better. Originally I discovered this through a great episode of Scrubs but this song fits any scene with an emotional/cathartic feel. Truly deserving of all the praise and for lifting up Jeff Buckley to another level. Hearing the sighs and cracks in his voice make this one of the most real and purest songs in existence. It's incredibly difficult to follow up a song like Hallelujah but I feel like Lover, You Should've Come Over does so perfectly. The different style of intro followed up by the drums eases you into the rest of the song really well. Afterwards the song showcases the vocal talent of Jeff Buckley and it mixes quite nice with the organ. Corpus Christi Carol is a bit too sad in my opinion but it does fit the theme of the album. Not a noteworthy song but not bad either. What a change-up Eternal Life is from the previous song, however it's a welcome one. It doesn't fit the general theme of the alum that well but it did need a bit of a shake-up. Dream Brother is a great addition to the LP, it always makes me think of the band Muse in a good way. It's very trance-like and still grounded. The closer Forget Her is perfect for this album. All the emotions while still feeling the dreariness makes it very similar to a Pink Floyd song to me. I'd give the total album 4.5/5 stars if I could
Now this is strange. I've mentioned this album maybe 5 times in the past week, hell I even got a copy of it for Christmas. So I am well aware of this album and I will be blunt; I think it's fantastic. While I can't deny the other comments made are valid, Jeff certainly has a way of "giving it his all" but I just think if you dislike it you should revisit it at a lower point in your life. This album is beautiful, earnest in its writing and performance and Jeff's voice is incredible. Even if it's the slow focus like in Hallelujah he takes you away and you feel every ounce of yearning and sorrow. If I were to ask someone their favourite male singer and they said Jeff Buckley I am nodding my head and saying "I see it", it's well within the argument. I also won't lie or pretend like his passing doesn't add a layer to this album. It was his only full fledged release before his death and while I wasn't even alive before he passed there is always a certain sorrow of "what could have been" with an artist who makes something incredible and then just vanishes from our lives. Usually I would maybe say the album is a little long, but I wouldn't actually cut any songs from this album at all. It might be through the benefit of hindsight knowing he won't ever release another but this album has no misses. It has no weak points, even the quote "worst song" is an 8 and of incredible quality... but there are definite high points. While the cover of Hallelujah sticks out for man the follow up "Lover, You Should've Come Over" takes the cake for me. This album has a number of perfect songs but this is an 11, it has that ethereal feeling and if you hear this at a time in your life when you're young and heartbroken it will never let you go. Best songs: Lover, You Should've Come Over / Grace / Forget Her Worst songs: N/A Rank compared to everything else so far: 3/34 (Below Good Kid Maad City, above Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite)
A lovely album from an artist gone too soon
Cần thời gian để ngấm.
Old mate needs to chill out vocally quite often but hey, what a talent. I'm going to assume all the poor taste swimming based jokes have been made.
Years since I've heard this and it's a classic. The rendition of Hallelujah is beautiful.
Not sure how many more albums on this list will be better than this.
PERFECT ALBUM 1!!!!!!
Nothing crazy, just some nice moaning to some nice instrumentation
way better than I expected. I understand why so many people talk well of this guy
Top-tier vocal performance, but some of the songwriting isn't great and the album as a whole feels too long. Still an enjoyable listen with some high highs.
Great vocals with memorable percussion. Definitely something to listen to again
10/10
This album feels very emotional and expressive. It starts strong and keeps a consistent quality throughout, with no “meh” moments for me. I really liked listening to this one.
Hallelujah is gas and lover you should’ve come over. Eternal life Took me by surprise, complete vibe switch which I liked. The songs after that were enjoyable and made the album a little better. Not something I was wow’d by, but it sounded nice. Definitely could’ve cut a few songs from that album and it would’ve been much better.
When I see this I think of hallelujah but don’t think I know any others, when I think of Jeff Buckley I mainly think of his Bob Dylan cover ‘mama, you’ve been on my mind’ which I like a lot. T1 not what I expected at all, beginning is very very soft rock then end sort of exploded, excited to see where that’ll lead the rest of the album, didn’t necessarily love the first song but we’ll see about the rest. T2 like this intro . This is like a grunge progression like nirvana. This is nice, at like 3:00-3:30 that feels like it could be a Stevie backing. Man this song is weird I like it T3 this is more what I expected based on the little I knew about Jeff Buckley. Like it My right ears like half clogged from a concert last night and this fourth song sounds like I’m missing a lot of frequencies so I’m gonna stop for now and come back later in the day and headphones if needed if I still can’t hear everything bc as of now it sounds kind of naked and I’m sure much of it is but I think I’m judging it as too naked for missing a lot of the background. T4 Fuck I wrote a ton of notes but didn’t hit save. I don’t want to rewrite everything fuck. Listened to it a bunch tho satisfied with rating accuracy. Would like to give this a 2.5 4.5/10
Kind of slow, very plodding. I personally can't stand "Hallelujah." It's just been played out too much by literally every artist ever. Don't quite care for the tone of this album. The delivery of it's message doesn't resonate with me.
Really great vocals and an audacious pop rock soundscape. A few songs were a bit too lifeless for my liking but overall a great listen.
stunning front to back
4.5 if I could. Just below the 5
was not very familiar with rock music but this was good
Dang, I dig this! Four songs into an album I’m not at all familiar with, and I was already ready to give it 4-stars. It’s interesting, dynamic, and clearly worthy of multiple listens. There are hints of Radiohead or Neutral Milk Hotel in the songwriting, but it definitely has its own distinct signature. Yeah, no. It's a 5-star album. I'm hooked!
Surprised with the hallelujah cover. His voice has a lot of range. Not an artist that was on my radar from the 90s.
Bootifol
I remember my sister being really into this guy, so I sort of wrote him off under a blanket assumption that mine and her music interests had little overlap. But this album is kind of great. Hallelujah is the only one of his songs that I ever actually listened to before and it is a shining (quite possibly definitive) cover of the song. His treatment of it is delicate and impassioned without all of the jagged edges that Cohen's original had. For this song alone, the album earns its worth. And yet, there are plenty of other great original songs here to support it. Grace is pretty epic in structure; So Real is great with a dabbling into some gungier post-rock themes. Dream Brother sounds almost like a Cage the Elephant song or something. This was a really solid album. High 4 IMO.
Pretty enjoyable. Did not expect one grunge song. Hallelujah (not this version) is a top 100 song. Originally by Leonard Cohen and apparently it's about sex so I can't wait to hear it in a bunch of inappropriate places for the rest of my life.
Definitely thought we had this album before, have seen the album cover all over the place. Really solid album all around nice mix up of types of rock. The Hallelujah cover is very good.
I've seen this album cover a ton and never have listened to it. A few songs in and it's certainly unique. Absolutely love that background guitar on Lilac Wine. Loving So Real as well. Beautiful and chaotic. Beautiful rendition of Hallelujah. Don't care for the vocals on Corpus Christi Carol, but again has that same spacey guitar work at some points. Eternal Life and Dream Brother both bang. Gets a little harder and psychedelic compared to the first half. This album felt all over the place but cohesive at the same time. Very strange but I definitely enjoyed it.
Its one of my favorites albums. It was my number 1 album of 2025 on spotify wrapped!
Great album , loved it when I was younger. Lilac wine is a banger. Very French feeling
Ohhhhhhhhh just beautiful, I am sad. What he would have done!!
NAHHHHHHH WHHHHATTTTTTT I feel like this first song isn't supposed to work but it somehow does. Like this song had me moving without me even noticing. Absolute banger way to open it bruv. I love when white people put their foot in their music😌🔥 Whatever that vacuum cleaner was in the middle of So Real caught me offguard, but when he started singing again after it was chef's kiss THIS MAN DID A COVER OF HALLELUJAH. Not quite as hitting in the feels as the smash mouth version but still highly good The 90s was a great time for music. I wish I couldve heard him perform this album at a concert Every song got added except Hallelujah since I already got Smash Mouth's version This album impressed me just as much as the Mariah Carey album, but these songs actually sound like ones I would listen to in my day-to-day All in all, phenomenal album Best song: Last Goodbye 10/10
No words….
The first song lured me in under the misconception of some late 90's grunge inspired indie rock similar to Radiohead or Smashing Pumpkins. I knew of Jeff Buckley somewhere in my mind but couldn't place where. When I read the Wikipedia I remembered the story of his tragic death and also his version of Hallelujah. As the album went on I kept waiting for more intensity and noise but more of what I was getting was emotional intensity and subtlety. I did like this album and would probably like it even more if I was listening to it in a different mood. He is definitely a very talented musician and songwriter. There were some really creative elements thought the album: tablas, choirs, strings arrangements... But overall I found I was waiting for more of the rock elements that lured me in , in the first place. Still an impressive and unique album in many ways and I will probably try to give it another listen sometime soon.
So this was not at all what I was expecting from Jeff Buckley. I don’t know why, but I genuinely thought he was just another blues rock guitarist. There are probably a number of factors in my confusion, including his dad, Tim Buckley's music career, but Grace is definitely not just some blues rock guitar album. It's actually a pretty solid 90s alt-rock album, which isn’t quite my preferred genre, but it's still good. Jeff Buckley also doesn’t quite sing in my preferred style of singing, but I'll readily admit he is absolutely a phenomenal singer. At times this reminds me of Chris Cornell/Soundgarden, others it reminds me of Thom Yorke/Radiohead. Interesting to see that his singing actually gave Thom Yorke confidence to sing in falsetto.
A really great album--undeniably. Buckley was so amazing and transcended and blended genre with such ease and mastery of music. Lover, You Should've Come Over is one of the greatest songs of all time. And yet, insane musicality does not a banger make. Perfectly cohesive, I'm sure a lovely vinyl. But I want an earworm.
Harder than I thought it would be, but also more like Train than I thought it would be. Hallelujah is still great, every other song sucks for a unique reason.
PTN DÉJÀ ECOUTÉ CNNARD
A very good cover of Hallelujah, but that’s not enough to save this album
I loved it.
Very beautiful very sad
One of my favourite albums ever
Very good, clean production, great vocals, a nice mix of somber and energetic songs. Highlights are unsurprisingly Hallelujah and Lover, You Should've Come Over
fav tracks: Lilac Wine, Lover You Should've Come Over, Eternal Life
64/1001 First listen. I know the name but haven’t heard one of these songs before. I was waiting for the big single but it never came. This is a pretty slow burn the whole way. I gave it a fair shot and will listen to this again when the mood is right. 5/10
Already one of my favorite albums but I haven’t listened to it in a while so it made my day better and more miserable
walked so radiohead could stumble into zionism, ily forever jeff <3
From what I've heard it's kinda boring to me. Like the first song so far Like the second song more than the first but not by too much Third song my fav so far Lilac wine my least favourite so far, I find it boring. Most of the time I hate hallelujah but this one is fine. Lover, should've come over: thought I wouldn't like it but I do. Forget her: Fav song
One of the saddest early deaths in the music industry, Grace is an album that glows with Jeff Buckleys talent and potential. A more somber album focusing on lost love, it's difficult to not feel the emotion poured into this album even if it isn't your normal style of music. Great album and an impressive legacy for a lost talent
Love this album!
Oh, what could have been... Talking of course about Jeff, who tragically left us far too soon. This is one of those albums where you can feel the visceral emotion on every track. "Last Goodbye" and "Lover, You Should've Come Over" are my personal favorites, but it's also hard to overlook the beauty of "Hallelujah". Impossible not to think about what other great music he could have brought to us. But at least he left us with this.
4,5 MASTERPIECE
Love this but need to listen to it more
Not my style, only 1 song saved the album Hallelujah
Anyone who knows me knows I love this album. Buckley's voice is just insane. It gets really heavy and loud at points, a very quiet/loud 90s sound with a more delicate texture than most rock artists. The guitar is almost like a character in this universe, it has its own dialogue and agency. Buckley really makes that thing sing. I find this album soulful, desperate, and haunting, in a classically tragic sort of way. Buckley does Simone so beautifully, too.
Det er et smukt album, jeg har hørt det en god mængde gange før, men af en eller anden grund rammer det ikke. Kommer lidt til at kede mig...
Beautiful
One of the best albums ever made. It’s hard to put his music into a genre, it goes places that are inspirational for other musicians
2.7/5 Hallelujah is an all time great song.
Quite surprised by this one. Never really heard his stuff. Really nice voice and could have had an interesting career if he didn’t drown to death at age 30.
Paar banger aber auch ganz ganz schreckliche Lieder also keine Ahnung
Didn't really grab me. Not a style I love
Praise Jah
I think I’ve only ever heard the Hallelujah cover so I’m interested and curious to hear why the album got mixed reviews and now seems to have been reexamined and reevaluated. The opener Mojo Pin sounded like 2 or 3 songs which was interesting and good but the second song, Grace, for whatever reason, I immediately disliked. Lilac Wine is very pretty and sweet sounding and a couple of these songs are great and a couple are just insufferable. How did Corpus Christi Carol make it on? I’m surprised at how uneven this all is. Definitely some major moments and some terrible misfires for me. Undeniable talent
Great
yay an album i own already!! i love jeff. this album reminds me of winter time during my undergrad. whiny, delicate, pining. had most of it saved already, but now the whole album's def going into my rotation. saved: everything!
🫤
I have a friend who absolutely eviscerated Jeff Buckley in an e-mail awhile back. It is likely fortunate this individual was not called upon to deliver a speech at Jeff’s funeral. For my part I am quite taken with this album. There is a lot going on and some big swings. Some swings hit, some not so much, but taken as a package, the willingness to do something quite strange, I just have to appreciate.
Things my younger self has said/written about Jeff Buckley: "I got nothing against Jeff Buckly, but when I want to listen to little bitch music I put on Elliot Smith instead" Edgy. “Now this is an unpopular opinion, but I don't like Jeff Buckley. I think it's because of people who dabble in music love him. For me, he's music for the hobbyist, squarely in that category of slightly-off the beaten path alt-rock like muse and U2 that sit atop of an apex of nothing but their own blandness.” Meow. “What’s he ever done expect drown and write a song about it?” Snarky. I have softened these opinions somewhat in my old age. I would now go as far as to say this is a “good” album, but an overrated one.
Hallelujah is excellent. The rest of the album kind of sounds like he’s wailing? Idk it’s not bad but not necessarily my jam. I’ll stick to just hallelujah
I didn't recognize Jeff Buckley when the album popped up and for the first 5 songs I was thinking that this was just OK from someone who I didn't know. Then "Hallelujah" started and then realized who Jeff was - probably the best version of Leonard Cohn's iconic song. I also really enjoyed "Eternal Life"
One of the few albums I think are perfect. I have a lot of emotional feelings caught up in this album, it being tied closely to a friend who has passed away, but even before that this album felt so heavy to listen to. You can really feel the outpour of emotions from Buckley on every second of this record. It’s one of music’s great tragedies that we didn’t get more of his art to enjoy. He really is one of the all time greats, and this album will forever be a classic.
Listening Notes Definitely seems like he had the sensibilities of someone who admires the composition of old standards, so much so there's covers on a debut (Lilac Wine, Hallelujah, Corpus Christi Carol). However, it also felt like the pressure to actually sell records creeped in, lending to the other tracks that have big guitars. Not to say the songs are bad by any means, perhaps a bit forced. The album thus feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be, wavering between half singer/songwriter ballads and the other half 90s alt rock. First time listen? Surprisingly, yes Fav tracks? Mojo Pin, Grace, Last Goodbye, So Real, Dream Brother Will it go into your rotation? I could see throwing this on for an evening
Amazing album one of my favs of all time! 10/10 back to back
A lot of this album sounds like slow led zepplin songs. The rest is either every 90s grunge song i hadn't heard or a fine cover of hallelujah.
This was an album I was looking forward to listening. My favourite out of the four I've listened to so far
I like the corpus christi carol
I don’t think I ever really sat and just listened to Jeff Buckley’s voice before. I really like how he plays and lingers on notes. An incredibly versatile mix in this album with both originals and covers. Not everything hit for me and nothing I’d playlist, but Buckley’s voice felt perfect for every track. The sad boy trope is strong with him for sure.
One of the best albums ever! It's so sad that this is the only album he released while he was alive. Every song is great, the arrangements are pretty complex, and his voice is just unique, so haunting and beautiful. I don't really know what else to say, it's a perfect record. An undeniable talent, taken away from us too soon.
So beautiful so many tears just so beautiful
It has one good song on it, every other song is boring and hard to listen to
It really is one of the best!!
Tedious, boring, overrated hipster rock. Almost any rock album from the 1990s was more enjoyable than this. Only slightly less soporific than his dad's music. When I was at university, in the 4 years leading up to this record's release, there were multiple music school dorm jam bands on every U.S. campus that sounded exactly like this and they played at all the coffee houses on campus. They were a dime a dozen. Nothing special. They too were filled with so much angst and narcissism that was filled with emotional immaturity. Guess we know his Dad never taught him about the buddy system when you go swimming. One nice "Hallelujah" cover and a bunch of wankery.
I've been waiting patiently for Grace to show up here. What a masterpiece. I remember having a total musical epiphany when I was first made aware of this album around 20 years ago. I knew Hallelujah but hearing what else Buckley was capable of blew my mind. The first seven tracks are pure gold; it weakens a little from Corpus Christi Carol onwards but by the time you make it there you're already beyond engrossed. God only knows what would have become of him, had he not perished at such a premature age.
10/10 Thinking about this album and how often I revisit it, I wonder if it’s the single album that I’ve listen to most in my life. Whatever musical moment I’m in at any one time, there’s always been time to spin Grace, and it was nice to listen to this in a different way, taking specific notice to the nuances of an album that is so familiar to me. Frankly, this album is glorious in almost every conceivable way. Jeff writes songs that frequently dip into various sections and evolve as they progress so that nothing ever gets stale, but equally he never forgets to anchor that range around a core song that keeps everything tightly on theme. He writes so many little hooks, some of which are fleeting, and some which a song returns to time and again. But nothing is ever repeated too often, in part thanks to the constant evolution, ebb and flow of the composition around those themes. It’s funny, because while people don’t often categorise it as such, there are some very strong elements of grunge to this album and, for me, that helps to give it the kick and drive that provides a significant element of its momentum. The performances from the rest of the band are perfect at allowing the songwriting to shine, striking a beautiful balance of doing enough to enhance but never overwhelm. Matt Johnson’s drumming is particularly noteworthy, but everyone plays their part in creating an organically moving bed of sound that just elevates every moment. And then we come on to Jeff’s vocal. He’s one of the most emotive to ever do it. He can sing with depth and grit, woody mid-range and soaring falsetto, often within a bar or two of one another. He’s melodramatic, but in the most believable way possible, dragging out the pain, anger, heartbreak and occasional humour in his subjects in a way that feels like the overwhelming pit of emotion that one can find themselves in from time to time, even if you're self-aware enough to know you’re being a drama queen. It’s also a stunningly well produced album. You can hear Andy Wallace’s experience of working with bands like Nirvana, Sonic Youth and L7. There’s a great deal of punch when required, but the nuance of production that allows the quiet parts to breathe beautifully while the most intense parts kick with fire and fury. The world was robbed of a magnificent talent when we lost Jeff Buckley, but to have this album as a legacy is more than most could even dream of. It has every right to be considered among the truly great albums of all time, and Jeff one of our greatest and most emotive singers. It’s just a remarkable achievement for anyone, let alone a man making his debut studio recording. I’m off to listen again Mojo Pin - It’s a lovely slow burn of an intro. There’s a lot of depth to it, with a lot of little parts that could easily go unnoticed on first listen. The movement of the guitar arpeggiations is really pretty and the shuffling, jazzy beat from Matt Johnson just gives the song a beautiful drifting sound. There’s so much dynamic to the composition, with bits that swell into grungy aggression, and parts that are almost whisper-quiet. And Jeff's voice is spectacular. He builds it up, he tails it off, he uses vibrato in all the right places. Just beautiful. Grace - The opening guitar line to this goes through my head at least once a week. It’s just wedged in there as one of my most internally referenced musical motifs in my life. Again, the dynamic range of this is so good as it builds in intensity, and it's actually packed with hooks. There are subtle shifts in tone throughout the track, and the changing emphasis of the rhythm is so, so satisfying. Jeff really gives it some here, and we get so much grit from him in places, as well as the soaring falsetto, but it’s never lacking the emotional punch. Last Goodbye - There’s so much movement through various sections in Jeff’s writing and this is a fine example. But he can also write mean hooks too. There’s loads of drive and pace to this song, but that never overtakes the beauty of the songwriting and vocal. The drumming is brilliant, the string arrangements are just so excellent and full and there’s a great blend of rhythms across the other parts too. And then you have Jeff deliver this pleading, yearning, desire-filled vocal over the top. Lilac Wine - And now, we get a stripped back cover. Everything is super restrained and pretty and Jeff’s vocal just ebbs and flows in intensity. The orchestration allows so much space for everything to breathe, and that dynamic range that’s present across the record is here again. It's a showcase of the subtle side of his vocal talents and it’s just a super well executed and beautifully performed song. So Real - There’s something beautifully unsettling about the composition of the verses here. It’s full of unresolved tension and unnerving chord choices. The choruses build in intensity from the first to the second and then we get an almost Nirvana-esque cacophony that drifts us back to that tension-filled verse. Dynamic range, baby! And it just closes with a brilliant tension resolution. Hallelujah - Is this the greatest cover version of all time? It’s in with a shout. It’s just an exquisite performance. Again, it builds, ebbs and flows in such a glorious way. There's so much movement in the guitar and Jeff tears every single drip of emotion out of his body and through his vocal cords into the lyrics. There are sneering moments, sombre moments, uplifting moments and bereft moments. It’s simply a vocal performance masterclass and it’s beautiful. Lover, You Should've Come Over - The lilting, slightly dragging rhythm of this is so sweet. We get subtlety in the vocal early doors, but there’s still that tiny edge of grit that surfaces in fleeting moments. And the song just builds as it goes. He just refuses to adhere to a simple structure, with the composition shifting and evolving, but never going too far from the soul of the song. It’s melodrama in the best possible way. Just another beautiful journey of a song. Corpus Christi Carol - Similarly to Lilac Wine, we get another palate cleanser of a stripped back cover. It’s super pretty, if perhaps a little less compositionally interesting than the originals on the album, but it’s another lovely vocal performance and serves as a nice breath before we dive into the last couple of tracks. Eternal Life - And we dive into this one with a kick. I love the rolling, broiling rhythm of this track. It’s a fiery and driven song and is the most flat out rocker on the album. There’s so much intensity to it, and some of the instrumental tones are glorious. The bass, for example has got so much grime all over it, but it serves the song so well. And amidst the tempestuous instrumental storm, Jeff’s vocal swims atop the waves, diving in and soaring out of the grungy deep. Dream Brother - Another brooding, pulsing composition. Another where Matt Johnson’s drums are a perfect shuffling heartbeat to the track. The bass is so clean but has a bone-shaking solidity to it too. As with much of the album, there are more quality explorations of dynamic range, and the rhythms of the different parts creates an ever moving bad of tone and rhythm. It captures that dreamy quality, but with an undercurrent of nightmare just bubbling away beneath the surface. Jeff’s vocal is angelic as always, but there’s always that little bit of bite that he dips into nopw and again to give it extra weight and range. A great way to close out the album.
Ehhhhh
Incredibly haunting album with so many memorable songs.
Our Last Goodbye. Pure bliss. One of the greats.
This was really good - second time listening to this as part of this project and I feel like I got it more this time as to why it’s such a legacy album. Beautiful songwriting, incredibly moving.
This guy can sing. His version of Hallelujah and the song So Real are my favorites. Gone too soon.
One of the most gifted and angelic singers to have crossed the planet. Leonard Cohen salutes with a Halleluiah
Day 115. Only previously knew Hallelujah, enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. 8/10 Highlights So real Eternal life Forget her
Good album, but not my type. Yet it was a surprise, i wasnt expecting anything from it. There are some good songs.
Picked up on this album a good few years after it first came out, absolutely love it.
This album is great. It's really mind-blowing. There is a lot of variety, but it doesn't lose interest or the hook, instead, it gets so much power. It's both, haunting and beautiful, magnetic and energetic. I've loved listening to it, it's such a great one, for sure.
This album is beloved but I feel like it’s never been a massive favorite of mine, though I enjoyed it more this listen and his version of Hallelujah is my favorite. Also def noticed the influence on Thom Yorke.
No private session used for Spotify. I have listened to this album a lot over the past few decades. I love a lot of the songs on this album and don't dislike any. His guitar and voice are awesome and he knows how to get the most out of both.
Another re-listen. I will admit to finding Jeff's voice a little too much to handle in high doses, but when it hits? Dude. DUDE.
This is an 11/5
Maybe my favourite album
Awesome
Maybe I was too young when I listened to this before, but I always thought I didn't particularly like it. I revoke that judgment. It's gorgeous and sad and beautiful.
Quite awesome, hard to categorize, original, confident and solid music. Just learned he died young like his dad, what a loss! 4
Favorite Track: Hallelujah
Don't care who came first, it's just fucking radiohead
Haunting, soft and ethereal. His voice feels so deeply emotional in every lyric, and every moment. A classic album that everyone needs to listen to, at least, once in their lifetime.
THIS IS MY FAVORITE ALBUM OF ALL THE TIME.<<<333 I SUGGEST THE LIVE VERSION TOO! HIS VOICE, HIS EYES, HIS LYRICS,HIS LIFE, HIS EVERYTHING... EVERYTHING IS TRAGICALLY BEAUTIFUL ABOUT HIM :)
The voice, man. The voice. "Grace" has always been a stone classic in my mind. It's moody, dynamic, and lovely. The 1-2-3 punch of "So Real" - "Hallelujah" - "Lover, You Should've Come Over" is S-Tier great. It's a solid 8.5/10 album, but only because the last 1/3 can't come anywhere near the first 2/3.
really loved this, wish i had gotten a chance to take a bath while listening to it. totally unexpected voice
Okay.
listening when: morning thoughts: i mean hopefully when i look back ill be less petty but rn on instinct it sucked rating:
I was a big fan of his father, but had actually not listened to much by Jeff. Nice album, this is one I might actually buy.
Very good but some of the songs with more range tip over the edge for me.
Ok. Not my style. ★★
Devastating
Kind of weird for an album to be so backloaded. I can only think of a small handful like that. All of the B Sides are incredible, especially his cover of Hallelujah. Can't say the same for Side A. The title track and Mojo Pin are great, but the other 3 on that side leave a lot to be desired. Anyways, talk about a man that really feels what he's singing. I swear he jumps seven octaves whenever the big parts come around. Double anyways, I'm still upset we only got one album from this guy before he died.
One of the bests musics albuns of ALL TIME!!
Wasn’t felling this. First song was good but the rest was too emo
RIP
Pretty decent stuff in here. His voice is phenomenal! I liked Lilac wine, eternal life, and forget her.
This album cover has always sort of reminded me of the scene in Back to the Future where Marty decides to introduce the 50s to rock and roll (and later, metal). Unlike Marty's performance, there's nothing about Grace that would have Buckley telling his audience "guess you guys weren't ready for that yet". Some of these songs sort of feel like melodies Thom Yorke would have written (Thom! Thom! It's your cousin, *Marvin* Yorke!), but performed by a better singer, but instrumentally the backing band really doesn't do anything interesting here, and Buckley's songs themselves aren't quite good enough to stand up entirely on their own like that.
guitar parts go crazy
I feel tortured.
Respect it but not my thing
Solid album, sad he didn’t live long enough to make more music.
one of the few albums where i not only like every song, but also find it difficult to choose a favourite (fyi hallelujah is competing for last place) and yeah, i get that music is subjective, but cmon guys so many 1 stars? have you heard any other albums from this book? if this is a 1, maybe a new scale should be invented for some of those "classics" i'm sure some of you gave 5 stars to just because you have such great taste
Music for crying and writing crappy poetry to. This is the soundtrack to a 90's movie about a guy who is sad about his breakup with the manic pixie dream girl. I don't know anything about his life and although from context clues, I'm gathering it's a bit of a tragic story, I really don't care to look into it. I can sort of see why there's hype around this album because it doesn't sound like much else that was coming out at the time, but it's unjustified hype and there's a reason nothing else sounds like it. It isn't very good. 2 stars.
The only track on this album that I liked was Hallelujah, possibly because I associate it with the brilliant film Shrek. I found the rest too saccharine, almost enough to give you toothache. I couldn't listen to the whole album. 2/5
This album. THIS ALBUM. Thirty-one years since its release and this is still one of my favourite albums. Deeply romantic, introspective and fiery. There was nothing like it back in 1994. Still isn't.
A little too light for me
One of my all time faves. We lost him way way too young
I have finally decided to come back and re-evaluate Jeff Buckley's one and only album, Grace, now with much more specific musical tastes under my belt. It is still so incredible, despite the many listenings of individual songs and full play throughs of this album that I have gone through, that Jeff's vocals still sound so stunning and surprising. His ability to showcase such artistry at such a young age and be so proficient with his skills is unalike anything I have ever seen from such new talent when crafting their debut piece. While I may not have the same undying love for this album as I did before, I can still appreciate a wonderful piece of music when I hear it and Jeff Buckley's Grace is most certainly one of those kind of albums. Maybe this will grow back upon myself with time but for now I feel pretty comfortable with this album's greatness and confidence but don't have the same overwhelming admiration I once had for such a defining album of its' time.
This takes me back to my teens - listening to this album in the dark, thinking I was really deep. I still enjoy it, although I can now admit there might be a couple of skippable tracks (cough *Lilac Wine* cough). It would have been so interesting to see where Jeff Buckley went next, but sadly we'll never know.
Came into this album with low expectations. Was expecting some other boring singer songwriter thing you've more or less heard before. But I actually liked it! Vocals were not the main selling point for me. Don't get me wrong, he's not a bad singer. But instrumentals and composition were what got me. Also, I think the setup for "Eternal Life" was pretty damn neat. So different in style and energy from everything else just after a quiet song. Caught me off guard in a really satisfying way! All in all a surprisingly pleasant and pleasantly surprising experience.
Greatest album of all time actually.
I know I'm supposed to like this album but I just have never been able to enjoy it. No denying his talent but it's just not for me.
A little too much of a whiney voice for me. will not be listening to it again. i can see these songs at the end of a Dawson's Creek episode on the CW.
His voice was incredibly unique and fun to listen to, but the songs were pretty boring. A few went somewhere, like Eternal Life and Dream Brother, but the rest made me fall asleep.
Hallelujah good. Last goodbye not bad
One song does not make for an album
I honestly don’t know what to say about this album. It absolutely left no impression on me. It was totally forgettable. There are worst albums, but not many.
121/1089 one song in and i REALLY like his voice, and kind of distant/dreamy production on the instruments is captivating hearing some Neighbourhood/Turnstile precursor in So Real, vocal style and vocal production-wise ooh wow this rendition of Hallelujah… I’m sure i’ve heard parts of it before but hearing it in full is something else Corpus Christi Carol into Eternal Life was great. This whole project has felt so special, i’m not sure what more i can add. he was so laser-focused on his sound, there’s variety in vocal and style but it still all fits together so smoothly and i can see this album growing on me even more Lilac Wire and Corpus… were the omly songs i didn’t save but even then they were really good inclusions faves: Mojo Pin, Eternal Life, Lover Upu Should’ve Come Over, Grace, Last Goodbye 93/100
If only he'd been a better swimmer...
Jeff Buckley’s *Grace* (1994) is one of those rare debut albums that feels like a final statement even though it was just the beginning. Released when Buckley was only 27, it’s a haunting, emotionally raw, and musically ambitious record that has only grown in stature since his tragic death in 1997. Below is an in-depth review covering its **lyrics**, **music**, **production**, **themes**, **influence**, and a breakdown of its **pros and cons**. --- ## 🎤 **Lyrics: Poetic, Cryptic, and Vulnerable** The lyrics on *Grace* are deeply poetic, often abstract, and emotionally intense. Buckley’s writing draws from literature, spiritual imagery, and personal turmoil. Songs like *Lover, You Should’ve Come Over* and *Last Goodbye* explore heartbreak, regret, and longing with aching sincerity. Lines like *“Too young to hold on, and too old to just break free and run”* capture the emotional limbo of youth and love . Even the covers—*Hallelujah*, *Lilac Wine*, and *Corpus Christi Carol*—are reinterpreted with such emotional depth that they feel like originals. Buckley’s version of *Hallelujah*, in particular, strips the song down to its emotional core, emphasizing vulnerability over Cohen’s biblical grandeur . --- ## 🎸 **Music: Genre-Blending and Sonically Rich** Musically, *Grace* is a masterclass in dynamics and genre fusion. It blends **rock**, **folk**, **jazz**, **blues**, and **opera** into a cohesive sound that’s both ethereal and grounded. Buckley’s guitar work—often using alternate tunings and intricate fingerpicking—creates lush soundscapes. Tracks like *Mojo Pin* and *Dream Brother* ebb and flow with cinematic tension, while *Eternal Life* delivers a jolt of grunge-rock aggression . His vocals are the centerpiece—spanning a nearly four-octave range, moving from whisper-soft falsettos to full-throated wails. It’s not just technical prowess; it’s emotional delivery that makes every note feel earned. --- ## 🎛️ **Production: Polished Yet Organic** Produced by Andy Wallace, *Grace* balances lush production with emotional intimacy. The instrumentation is layered but never overproduced. Songs like *So Real* and *Grace* build from delicate verses to soaring choruses, with reverb-soaked guitars, Hammond organs, and tight rhythm sections adding texture without overwhelming Buckley’s voice . The album’s sonic clarity allows every element to breathe, making it feel both expansive and personal. --- ## 🧠 **Themes: Love, Mortality, and Transcendence** At its core, *Grace* is about **love**, **loss**, **mortality**, and **spiritual yearning**. Buckley often confronts death not with fear, but with a kind of acceptance. The title track, *Grace*, is about finding peace in mortality through love: *“It’s my time coming, I’m not afraid to die”* . Other tracks like *Eternal Life* wrestle with existential frustration, while *Lover, You Should’ve Come Over* is a meditation on regret and emotional burnout. The album feels like a spiritual journey—raw, unresolved, and deeply human. --- ## 🌍 **Influence: A Legacy That Keeps Growing** Though Buckley only released one studio album, *Grace* has influenced a generation of artists across genres. Musicians like **Radiohead**, **Coldplay**, **Adele**, and **Thom Yorke** have cited him as an influence. His vocal style—especially the use of falsetto—has become a template for emotive male singers in alternative and indie rock . The album’s reputation has only grown posthumously, with *Hallelujah* becoming one of the most streamed songs of all time and *Grace* being added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry . --- ## ✅ **Pros** - **Vocal Performance**: Arguably one of the greatest vocal performances in rock history. - **Emotional Depth**: Every song feels like a window into Buckley’s soul. - **Genre Fusion**: Seamlessly blends rock, folk, jazz, and opera. - **Timeless Production**: Still sounds fresh decades later. - **Influence**: Continues to inspire new generations of musicians. --- ## ❌ **Cons** - **Front-Loaded Tracklist**: The strongest songs are early on, which can make the second half feel slightly less impactful . - **Covers May Divide Purists**: While beautiful, some may feel the inclusion of three covers detracts from Buckley’s original songwriting. - **Corpus Christi Carol**: Though haunting, it feels like a stylistic outlier and disrupts the album’s flow for some listeners . --- ## 🏁 **Final Thoughts** *Grace* is more than an album—it’s a **spiritual experience**. It’s the sound of an artist laying everything bare, chasing beauty in pain, and finding grace in mortality. Even with its minor flaws, it remains one of the most emotionally resonant and musically rich albums of the 1990s. Jeff Buckley may have left us too soon, but *Grace* ensures his voice will never fade.
This is my second 5 star album so far - I, like a lot of people, only knew of Jeff Buckley through his cover of Hallelujah and nothing else. So naturally I was completely taken off guard by this album and the style it went in. To be honest it blew me away and I loved basically every track here. Jeff's voice is insanely good with a massive range, and the songwriting is very raw and open. I certainly wasn't expecting a lot of the alt rock sounds and even heavier sounds sometimes. It really embodies some of that 90s alt/even grungey style at times. I read that he is an influence on Matt Bellamy of Muse, and Radiohead, and I can definitely hear that. This was a fantastic album that took me by surprise, in a good way.
Jeff Buckley is an interesting figure for those unaware. His untimely and unlikely demise of drowning in a river only adds to the mystique of and brilliance of the young artist. Buckley has arguably the best version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on this album. The musical stylings are interesting as well. A mix of early 90’s rock with sequences of what I believe is pre nu-metal riffs and break downs. I enjoyed the album but could see that it might lack mass appeal. Solid four.
I thought “Corpus Christi Carol” was the most interesting song. I wasn’t really feeling this, there were times it felt like it was trying to go hard but just fell short. 3 is probably a fair rating, but I doubt I will ever come back to this and the high points do not make up to the songs that seemed lacking.
Loved this album since the first day that I heard it - if you have never listened to it don't delay any further - trust me
Wow, wow, wow. This is one of those albums I’ve seen everywhere but never heard. I’m glad I have now- this has heart, is cohesive, and gorgeous. In the musical Hadestown, the mythical Orpheus has a singing voice so beautiful it can sway the God of the Dead, and is written to sound a lot like the vocal performances here. I have to assume that’s intentional.
Absolute classic, haunting, melodic, iconic.
Feels very 90s and I can see why he got so big. Redefining Hallelujah helps but that's the only song I knew prior to this listen so hearing the rock influences was fun.
Started off loving this. There are some very special songs on there - particularly Grace which has a nod to Cocteaus. Really good songwriting etc but one step removed.
I am utterly embarrassed that the only Jeff Buckley song I knew before this album is his cover of Leonard Coen's "Hallelujah", and if I'm being honest, I don't even like it that much. It's fine, but I never understand the obsession with it. I knew he died and only ever published one album, but I kind of presumed that his stardom was catapulted by his untimely death and that he didn't have much else to bring to the table but a cover of someone else's beautiful song. Why did I hold this view of Jeff Buckley? I don't know. Ignorance can lead to drawing some pretty wacky conclusions. I knew about two minutes into the first song that I had royally fucked up my opinion of Buckley. These songs are so rich, so layered. His vocals, so much range...gritty and soulful one moment, high and soaring the next, always somehow fitting flawlessly with the instrumentals. The guitar work elegant yet still distinctly 90s with some grunge-esque influences. Unbelievably creative arrangements. I now get why people were so plussed by his death. Was he a genius taken too early? I don't know, but his music is damn good. This one is an instant keeper in my favorites.
Very interesting musically and vocally. He's always flow under my radar but I will definitely give it more time.
A Mojo Pin 5 Grace 5 Last Goodbye 5 Lilac Wine 5 So Real 5 Hallelujah 3 Lover, You Should've Come Over 5 Corpus Christi Carol 3 Eternal Life 4 Dream Brother 5 Forget Her 5 One of the greatest of the greats. Been waiting a long time to rate this.
Not even sure why I like this album so much. It's an anomaly. I hear rock, pop, classical, funk. Listening again this go-around, it might be because it's freak folk and chamber pop before those were even a thing. Gifted songwriter and gifted interpreter of songwriting. I know nothing about him outside of this album, except he died young, like his father.
I somehow have never listened to this album before either. There’s no denying the late Mr. Buckley’s talent, but most of his music is really not for me.
Sorry he’s gone
I see why this is some people’s thing but it’s not my thing
A tragic loss for the music world, and a beautiful piece of art he left behind
Ethereal.. Forgettable.
Phenomenal
7/10 - obviously Hallelujah is the big one but dare I say this is better than his Dad's album; also bonus points for being a fan of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Much like with Nick Drake, I find reviewing JB is hard as the potential for greatness is clearly there but is not fully realised in his work. The voice is incredible and there are great songs but it does descend into more conventional fare at the end which doesn’t match the earlier songs.
One of the trifecta of musicians that I listened to on repeat for far too long when growing up so this is through heavily rose tinted glasses. His voice is possibly the greatest I have ever heard and the songs have a lilting beauty to them, from the lyrics to the chord progressions. His chord voicings give it continued interest, and the album showcases the range of talent he had. His tragic death has given it an almost mythical quality which might not be the same had he released some duds afterwards but I think hints at what other brilliant music he had in him to later release. Could be criticised by others as being oversung and the songs at times being a bit MOR - I don’t really care.
We've all heard Hallelujah. It's a classic and everyone knows it. The rest of the album? I dunno. 3 stars because Hallelujah and a couple other knee slappers.
Pretty Mid. It's still really good, but apparently, everything in this 1001 albums list is gas, so I gotta get more picky on the stars I give out. So from now on I will rate based on the chances I have of listening to using my own free will.
7.88 - He has an amazing voice, and his music is elevated because of that. I like the wide variety of music types. Best: Lover You Should’ve Come Over & Dream Brother (8.6). Worst: Grace (7.1), Last Goodbye & So Real (7.3).
Good lyrics, alright music.
Call me a performative male cause this shit slaps. 10/10.
Sometimes, quite often actually, before I start listening to these daily albums, I like to do a deep dive into the band/artist that I’ll be spending my day with, and look at their Wikipedia pages to see what they’re all about. Man, after reading about Jeff Buckley’s story and all the people who he inspired, I was absolutely fiending to check this album out. This guy made 1 album, and then tragically drowned while fully dressed, singing a Led Zeppelin song at age 30. Insanity. God must have wanted this guy to sing for him personally in heaven, because it’s an actual sin that we only got him for a single album. I want more. Why am I giving this album 5 stars?? Because I hear a lot of Chris Cornell here, a friend of Jeff’s, and my favorite musician of all time. It may actually be crazy to say this, but I think Jeff may have better voice control. The places he goes with each and every note are nothing short of amazing. Not only does Jeff’s voice absolutely kick ass, but this album is a near perfect mix of absolutely electric, balls to the wall bangers where he sings his heart out, like in “Grace” and “Eternal Life”, while also including genuinely beautiful pieces as well, like “Hallelujah”. Then there are the songs that are somehow both at the same time, like “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over”. Wow. What an incredible album this was. I can’t believe there are artists that were this talented out there with albums this good, and I’d never have found them if it wasn’t for this site. This was truly something special. Favorite song? It’s gotta be the title track, “Grace”. I’m a sucker for the songs that rock the hardest after all.
I could listen to this album a million more times and still feel sick every time. 5 stars
Very good and a more intense sound than I was expecting
This starts off more intense/high energy than I assumed it would. Having a tough time getting into this though. Maybe it's my mood today, idk. He's obviously an incredibly talented singer, I just don't think I connect with the style/songs/lyrics. Something about records from this era-mid 2000's where all of the arrangements are very similar song to song. I bet this would have been an incredible live show, but it falls flat on a recording for me despite how good he is. The "capture a band performance" production style doesn't' always work for me, I guess. Hallelujah is the real reason we're all here, right? It truly is such a beautiful performance of a beautifully written song. Tangent: Cohen wrote 150 verses for this song over 5 years before he felt it was right... Music is almost never better after a process like that but I think this song is probably a major outlier. Apparently his record company told him "we know you are great, but don't know if you are any good" Lover is the other reason we're here I guess. I do really love this song. Surely they made Hallelujah close out Side A originally, right?? Corpus Christi Carol - insanely beautiful Eternal Life - lfg. Love this foray into hard rock/alt/nu metal? There's 2 basses on this song hahaha. Strings bring the beauty back. More into the 2nd half of the record!
Mojo pin started and I was on board. I wanted to stay on board so bad!! It just has that 90s major label sheen to it that makes me kind of cringe. The production especially. I think Buckley's voice is obviously amazing but I just doesn't really do much for me. The songs def don't help His 'Hallelujah' apparently is in Rolling Stone's Top 10 covers of all time. I swear it's not even the best cover of 'Hallelujah'. kd lang clears it. Hell, Shawn Mendes maybe. Theory of a Deadman even! Ok too far. I want to watch that new doc about him. That usually does it for me. A personal touch and I'll be running back with a 4 rating. Cause I'm a little empathetic bitch like that! Fav songs: Corpus Christi Carol, Mojo pin
I really liked this entire album.
I’ve listened to this a few times before but it’s never really blown me away in keeping with how much people rave about it That said, a few seconds into Mojo Pin and I’m revved up What is that warbly synth sound? Crazy reverse guitar in the right ear is sick Really interesting chord movement Whoa I don’t remember it being this heavy This is definitely an album that has influenced me through how it’s influenced my influences Sounds very 90s in a way I love. Tight snare, big and spacious. Crazy col legno sounds near the end of Grace FLANGE Macaroni mouth all over the place Proto-nu-metal? Eternal Life Dream Brother is dope Favourite tracks: Lover You Should Have Come Over, Dream Brother Didn’t care for: Eternal Life, Last Goodbye I think every time I’ve listened to this record it’s grown on me a little more. There is something really special about it, no doubt, it just hasn’t cracked through into the realm of repeat listens for me.
Gorgeous, evergreen, lives to the hype
been listening to this album a lot whenever some girl would ghost me in my teenage years. 2/5
Jeff Buckley save the earth. return and save the Earth. Unbelievable.
Gone way too early. Looking forward to the new documentary.
Owned it since it's release but never really loved it. Some great songs but always felt it was a little overrated
Buckley's impressive vocals take us on a journey through quiet, almost whisper-like moments, to true stadium rocker wail, and to soaring (but very well-controlled) falsetto. I knew and liked two or three of the tracks on here but enjoyed pretty much every other one that was new as well! This is an album I will return to.
Perfect
Maybe not enough diversity of sounds and singing. Aside from the Cohen cover, too many repetitive sounds
This is just an incredible record. I blame Buckley for popularizing Hallelujah, though.
Passionate, earnest - affecting.
I liked this more than the first one! May have even recognized a song or two. Very groovy
dang
This is a perfect album
This album was a pleasant surprise. I think it's really difficult to pull off great heartfelt ballads, and Jeff Buckley succeeds multiple times on this album. Corpus Christi Carol kind of blew me away after listening to it a few times; the melancholy mood reminds me a lot of Sufjan Stevens. There are definitely a few songs off this album I'll be coming back to.
Mellow rock really good listening
Holy banger city, "Lover you should come over" is so good. 7.7/10
Toe smash but try and make it sound good
I started listening to this with trepidation. I’ve heard Hallelujah enough for a 1001 lives to have been lived. It’s a great, but vastly overplayed. The rest of the album is mixed. Some really great songs on it, but some where his voice just becomes silly (and one wonders whether Muse listened to this album a lot in their formative years). Overall, 3 stars.
It would seem pretty insensitive to comment about his skills as a musician clearly being superior to his skills as a swimmer.
always beautiful.
Holy shit
Yeah wow pretty much as good as advertised
Alright. Always meant to listen to this album, but after having done so, don't think I missed much
10/10 It’s just beautiful. No notes.
There are definitely 5+ star songs on this album which distort the grading scale...but, as a whole, it's lacking. His voice is both angelic and annoying at the same time. And he died way too young and this is all we really got from him, so that makes it precious as well.
I still think the mystique is bigger than the music ... but I enjoyed it way more than I expected. But it was a low bar. If anything, Hallelujah does him a massive diservice. It's still a 2. Perhaps creeping to a 2.5.
This is quite a beautiful record. Don't really know much about Jeff but I really dig this one. The calm mood and melodies that are presented made it a nice surprise while listening to this in the early morning hours. Vocals pair nicely with the gentle instrumentation and makes it very easy on the ears. Solid record.
One of my personal favorites of all times. I'll always remember listening to this album for the first time and right after listening to Grace i went on to listen to almost all of his songs. I look forward to listen to it for like 20th time. Damned Mississippi river.
the closest a man has ever been to an angel
Decent crop of tracks here but nothing that knocks my socks off. So real was the only song I saved and even then it wasn't like an instant this is a track ill listen to 100 times in a row type song. Its just pretty good and thats it. If I cared more about lyrics this might be incredible but I dont and it isnt. Its just ok. I do like that it has a few wild swings. Toward the end there is almost a nu metal type song that made me laugh. Enjoyed that moment of happiness. But I wouldn't say its a great song either. Just fun enough. Meh but not in a bad way id the final verdict
Fantastic Album, every song was a joy.
His voice is amazing. Just didn't love all the music.
really good. each song is well done but each songs position on the album feels equally as crafted. heavy up front, light and emotional middle, heavy finish. damn hallelujah
This whole album was pure gourmet. No simple grilled cheese, each track had layers of complexity and spice running through to the finish, the flavours mingling and evolving right there in your mouth. Jeff really cooked here. This album is a perfect curry, the spices and herbs each adding their own weight but the rich gravy that is his voice carrying the whole affair on its back. I suppose Hallelujah is the naan then. I've said Grace, now let's dig in.
One of the albums that I've always felt I should listen to but never did. Buckley's voice is something special and their are some truly beautiful songs on here. I actually listened to this album 3 and a half times today and it was a special experience. This is what I was hoping I would come across during this journey!
Beautiful :D
275/1089 - I only knew the great "Hallelujah" cover before going into this but after listening this shot up to one of my top 20 albums. Really good musicianship and really varied voice and instrumentation throughout. Songwriting is right at my preferred level of complexity (approachable yet abnormal). Such an unfortunate ending, always be careful and know your surroundings especially in water.
3.45 stars - probably 4
5/5 immediately
A beautiful voice, making a record unlike a lot of the grunge and other sounds of the early/mid 1990s. What's funny is, I don't know that I've ever listened to it all the way through. For sure I heard Last Goodbye on the radio all the time when the record was fresh. And Hallelujah, especially after it featured in The West Wing. You have to wonder what would have come had he not drowned.
Peak
The only song I knew on this album was l lover you should’ve come over, thanks to the butcher. The rest of it was easy listening though