10 Even More Perfect 1990s Rock Albums With No Bad Songs
2. Grace - Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley is one of the great musical losses of the '90s, tragically drowning at the age of just 30 in 1997. Adding a further tinge of sadness to this, Jeff's estranged singer-songwriter father Tim likewise passed away painfully young - albeit from a drug overdose - aged 28 when Jeff was only eight years of age.
There was only one studio album recorded and released from Jeff before his untimely passing, but man, what an album it was.
Released in 1994 through Columbia Records, that album was Grace. An utter masterpiece which perfectly showcased everything that made Jeff Buckley a special, generational talent, Grace was full of masterful songwriting, devilish guitars, and vocals that remain some of the most unique and powerful to have ever been heard.
Setting the table perfectly, it's Mojo Pin that's the opening track; a track that again ticks so many of the boxes that made Buckley - and bandmates Michael Tighe, Matt Johnson, and Mick Grondahl - such a talent. That's immediately followed by the titular Grace, which finds Jeff happy with the trials and tribulations of life because he's got a partner at his side.
Last Goodbye could well be Buckley's finest hour, but then that's followed by the poignant, beautiful Lilac Wine - and this is all before we even get to Jeff's version, the greatest version, of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.
Grace is top to bottom a marvel, and it's top to bottom the perfect reminder of how phenomenally talented Jeff Buckley was.