796. Grace - Jeff Buckley

An album that I knew pretty well, but was new to Chloe. She knew of its stratospheric reputation, however, and so expectations were pretty high from both of us that this would be a good week. 

What was great for me was that I not only re-discovered songs that I loved, but also developed a deeper affinity for other songs that I had previously overlooked. Whilst most people will know Last Goodbye and Hallelujah, some of the slightly heavier numbers are not as well known, and these really do add something to the depth of the album.

Mojo Pin is a beautiful wandering introduction to the album, and nicely demonstrates Buckley's vocal range; his voice really is exceptional, with the high notes in particular utterly mesmerising. Grace has a lovely depth of instrumentation to it, and Last Goodbye also adds an edge of frustration and anger to the melancholy angst of the artist. Hallelujah is obviously a fantastic song, although it has become slightly tarnished with its constant appearance in the final episode of every TV programme ever. Lover you should've come over captures the very essence of this album, with the anguish and heartbreak being just about held together in Buckley's voice. It is this song that is the masterpiece on this album for me, and has been ever since I saw a jaw-dropping cover of it at an Open Mic night at uni. Eternal life split us slightly, with Chloe feeling it lapsed slightly into college rock inanities, whereas I quite liked the fact that it unleashes a different side to Buckley. There is a defiance in the song which contrasts well with the slightly more passive nature of the rest of the album. Lilac wine is a miss for me, although I know many people love it, as I feel it is just too saccharine. 

Overall, it is a very, very good album, with a great range of songs. There are some misses here which reduce the mark a bit, but it is also worth noting that Chloe thought it was not in the same league as Nick Drake, an artist whose life also came to a premature end. Whilst there is a tendency for such tragedies to add a layer of mystique to a collection of music that is otherwise mediocre, in this case it is clear that the praise is, on the whole, fully justified. 

Chloe's rating: 8
Chloe's favourite track: 3. Last Goodbye
Olly's rating: 8
Olly's favourite track: 7. Lover you should've come over

Next week we have 320. Queen II by Queen. I'd have been thrilled with that choice twenty years ago, so let's see what I think now.