The Complete Jeff Buckley And Gary Lucas Songbook
Esordisc, 2019
8/10
Listen to The Complete Jeff Buckley And Gary Lucas Songbook
For the first time ever, we get all the songs penned by Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas in one place, plus 5 never officially released tunes from 1991-1992 that were birthed during a 10 month prolific writing spree.
“No One Must Find You Here” starts the listen with fluid guitar picking from Lucas that gets a bit cosmic as the setting becomes dreamy with smooth vocals, and “Story Without Words” follows as swift instrumentation builds into a full rocker with lush tendencies.
Deeper into the listen, “Bluebird Blues” does bring some blues spirit amid a soulful setting, while “Distortion”, one of the album’s best, recruits a quick delivery of fuzzy rock.
Near the end, “Harem Man” trims the pace back to groove friendly and agile, and “Malign Fiesta (No Soul)” offers a buzzing display of nearly alt-rock pummeling. “Grace”, one of Buckley’s most well known tune, ends the listen with acoustic strumming alongside expressive vocals that reminds us of just how brilliant Buckley was in his much too short existence.
David Combusti, from Rome, handles vocal duties here, and while no one will ever parallel Buckley’s pipes, he does fine justice to these tunes with a powerful, emotive performance. Lucas calls this release ‘a personal gift to all the Jeff Buckley lovers around the world’, and, as a fan, I have to say, gift well received.
Travels well with: Jeff Buckley- Grace; Gary Lucas- Gods And Monsters