“Just hear this and then I’ll go”
Most albums are a product of the time that they’re recorded in, maybe the lyrics are relevant to that specific cultural zeitgeist or perhaps some period-specific production techniques were used during the recording process, but these rules don’t apply to Grace.
The album is timeless and I’m confident in saying that a huge amount of Irish people rank it as one of their all-time favourite records.
So what makes it so special? To being with, it’s an incredibly crafted portrait of a gifted artist that showed so much talent, soul and potential in just 10 tracks but amidst the euphoria, passion and devotion that Grace inspires lies melancholy. It was Buckley’s only studio album thus acting as proof of his talent and tragic signifier of his potential to do even more.
It’s incredibly hard to separate the albums artistic merits from the tragedy that would befall the singer a few years later but this juxtaposition of tone and mood isn’t exactly hidden on these 10 tracks. In fact, one of the main draws of Grace is the fact that it’s not confined to just one styling or arrangement.
You’ve got the hard rock riffs of Eternal Life and Mojo Pin, the folk-pop sensibilities of Lover, You Should Have Come Over and the ethereal hymns of Corpus Christi Carol and Hallelujah. There’s also three covers thrown in for good measure – Leonard Cohen, Nina Simone and Benjamin Britten are the artists checked here.
Without a hint of hyperbole, Buckley’s voice was a gift from god because his falsettos were capable of breaking your heart and amping up your adrenaline levels in equal measures.
It’s timeless brilliance is only matched by it’s seismic influence since, look at the work of artists like Damien Rice, Snow Patrol, Radiohead, The National and Muse to name just a few.
Nobody knows what Buckley’s career would have panned out like but I prefer to look on the positives, this album is a gift for music fans and will remain so.
Ranking my 5 favourite tracks on Grace was something that I found incredibly difficult, the album doesn’t have a single weak song on it, but take a look and let us know what you think.
5) Hallelujah
While it doesn’t quite match the haunting vocal range of Corpus Christi Carol, it’s still one of the rarest things in music, a cover song that’s better than the original. No mean feat considering you’re talking about Leonard Cohen here.
Yes, it has been butchered and basterdised by reality TV shows and countless faux-pas singer/songwriters but I’d give anything to hear this song again with a fresh set of ears. Uplifting, haunting and heartbreaking in equal measure,
4) Eternal Life
Buckley’s death occurred just a few years after Kurt Cobain’s and as often happens when a young and charismatic artist dies, their legacy became larger. Why I love this track though is because it’s a direct counter-argument to this perception that Buckley was just a haunted, tender and delicate musician.
Total bullshit. He was a rock star who could could play fast, hard and heavy whenever he wanted to. This is the cathartic song that you listen to when you’re pissed off and having a bad day. All you have to do is crank the volume up to 11, headbang along to the riff and scream the lyrics at the top of your voice.
3) Mojo Pin
If ever a track laid down an entire albums raison d’etre then it’s this one because the dreamy, meandering and psychedelic template for Grace is set-up perfectly here.
You get the impression that Buckley’s gorgeous falsettos and pitches are capable of wrapping themselves around any melody. His voice is an instrument that’s capable of eclipsing even the most pounding drums or defining guitars.
The loud-quiet-loud technique has rarely sounded this beautiful.
2) Dream Brother
Like the album opener, this track is drenched in the dream-like and psychedelic sound but it’s composition is stunning because Buckley takes the time to draw you in before those guitars slowly send chills down your spine.
It’s also probably the most personal and introspective track on the album as the singer references the strained relationship that he had with his is father Tim for the only time in the lyrics “Don’t be like the one who made me so old, Don’t be like the one who left behind his name.”
1) Grace
One of the things that’s not often mentioned when discussing Buckley’s incredible talent is his guitar playing skills, not the biggest crime considering his stunning voice, but the intricate hammer-ons, pull-offs, and plucking here is a treat for your ears.
Music is about the journey, that bid to find moments of happiness, joy or even empathetic sadness through another persons art and for me this track is all of these things.
This song is the defining proof that he was a gifted guitarist, incredible singer, moving lyricist but most importantly a unique and all-round talent that gave us a memorable last goodbye. Forever missed, never forgotten.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
