It's been well over 10 years since this album was released, and it's better now than it was then. Every track on this album is near-classic, full of incredibly raw emotion and incredible songwriting. Buckley, the son of 60's-70's singer/songwriter Tim Buckley, creates an album that really moves you in a way that's indescribable. The emotion on this album is like that of no other. With that said, let me review the songs.

Track Listing:
1. Mojo Pin (5 stars)
2. Grace (5 stars)
3. Last Goodbye (5 stars)
4. Lilac Wine (4.5 stars)
5. So Real (4.5 stars)
6. Hallelujah (5 stars)
7. Lover, You Should've Come Over (5 stars)
8. Corpus Christi Carol (5 stars)
9. Eternal Life (5 stars)
10. Dream Brother (5 stars)

Album - 49/50 - 98%

The album kicks off with the ambient intro of Mojo Pin. The song really kicks off when Jeff starts singing and the gentle electric guitar comes in. Lying in my bed, blankets are warm, this body will never be safe from harm and then If only you'd come back to me, if you laid by my side, I wouldn't need no mojo pin to keep me satisfied. Don't wanna weep for you, I don't wanna know. I'm blind and tortured, the white horses flows, the memories fire, the rhythms fall slow. You can tell it's raw emotion. The song is mostly slow except for some parts. This song, along with the whole album, is really made incredible by Jeff's incredible voice.

The albums title track Grace is next. It starts off with a fast guitar intro and then write into striking electric chords with acoustic backing. This continues, while Jeff serenades us with his amazing voice, stretching it with every chance possible. Then the wait in the fire... section hits. Then it repeats. This electric guitar and ambient backing noises are incredible in this song, and give is a very eerie, almost scary, feel to it. You can tell the emotion is there, as with the whole album.

Well, speaking of emotion. Last Goodbye is the first song on the album to be written solely by Buckley (the first two were written by Buckley and his songwriting partner from the early 90's, Gary Lucas). This song is my favorite on the album. The lyrics are the best on the album and the music is incredible. It's more upbeat and less dark than the last two tracks. The song is about leaving your lover, and his emotion becomes painfully apparent throughout. This is a great song to play to your girlfriend if you want to let her down easy.... I guess. Here's some of the lyrics:


This is our last goodbye
I hate to see the love between us die
But it's over
Just hear this and then I'll go
You gave me more to live for
More than you'll ever know
Well, this is our last embrace
Must I dream and always see your face?
Why can't we overcome this wall?
Maybe it's because I didn't know you at all
Kiss me, please, kiss me
Kiss me out of desire, babe, and not consolation
You know it makes me so angry, 'cause I know that in time
I'll only make you cry, this is our last goodbye

The next song is Lilac Wine. Saying this is my least favorite song on the album is factual, but it's still amazing. This song actually gets better as it goes on. It's not written by Buckley, and the lyrics seem a little simple at times. After the intro, however, this tune really picks up, with Jeff exclaiming: When I think more than I want to think, I do things I never should do. I drink more than I ought to drink, because it brings me back to you. This song is no failure. Jeff really makes it great by the way he sings it. He REALLY stretches his voice at times, and it's amazing.

So Real is the next track. I love the nice little guitar intro to this track, and when the lyrics kick in it gets even better. This song is carried by the sharp guitar and nice little descending chordal riff. The only downfall in this song is the bland lyrics in the chorus. All he says is "Oh, that was so real." Other than that however, this song is flawless.

Hallelujah. This song is disgustingly good. It's performed solely by electric guitar and vocals, and, boy oh boy, are those vocals good. Buckley takes Leonard Cohen's classic and turns it into another classic. This song is truly a gem. The guitar is also perfect and has a great tone. But Buckley's voice really puts this song over the top.

Lover, You Should've Come Over is another tune penned solely by Buckley. The songwriting, similar to "Last Goodbye", is incredible. Buckley was truly a great songwriter. This song has a strange accordian (I think) intro, and amazing laidback acoustic chords over the soft drums and bass. And the organ over the chorus sounds so nice. The lyrics, accompanied with Jeff's vocal stylings, are superb. Full of emotion. It's about him longing his lover, as the title indicates. Sample of the (outstanding) lyrics:

Sometimes a man gets carried away
When he feels he should be having his fun
And much to blind to see the damage he's done
Sometimes a man must wake to find that really, he has no one

The next song is the strange and short Corpus Christi Carol. It sounds like some traditional, Catholic song, and it wasn't written by Buckley, so it's possible. It has traditional sounding lyrics. Like "Hallelujah", this song is solely over electric guitar (well, maybe a few ambient organ sounds, but not much), and, once again, very nice guitar. This song, just like "Hallelujah", amazingly showcases Buckley's incredible voice. It actually may display it even better, but its not even 3 minutes, and "Hallelujah" is almost 7.

Eternal Life gives us the hard-rock wake up call. It starts with quiet strumming of power chords, then BAM! Hard, thumping, distorted, raw guitar. Very different from the rest of the album. It is however, very emotional and the lyrics are, once again, excellent. It's a wonderful switch from the rest of the album, and actually one of the albums high points, mostly for the change in sound. This one was also written solely by Jeff.

This album ends with Dream Brother. This song, just like the opener "Mojo Pin", starts with ambient sounds. And, it also slowly transitions into compositional-sounding form. Nice, finger-picked guitar intro. Then the drums (which are amazing - kind of arabic sounding, giving the song a great feel) and Buckley's voice comes in. Buckley reeeaaally stretches on this first part. The song picks up and never gets worse. This is really a great, emotional way to end the album. It also showcases Buckley's talents well, and is incredibly well-written. Really a great way to end the album.

Overall, this album really couldn't be better. Everything about it is near to perfect. I don't believe that there was or ever will be a perfect album made, but this is a candidate for closest. It's packed full of raw emotion, which I think really sets it apart from many other albums.



Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening