JEFF BUCKLEY / Sketches For My Sweetheart the Drunk (1998)

Buckley's voice is unique; sometimes it's overly effeminate, soft and soothing; other times it's full of violent anguish with a poetic beauty in the lyrics that reminds me of Leonard Cohen, not musically but lyrically. Buckley's brand of rock is intensely personal and can be a draining experience for the new listener, but if you feel that he speaks to you through his music, then you'll fall in love.

Sketches… is a double album of unfinished demo recordings and studio works that were released posthumously; it's a fractured listening experience but through repeated listening has become my favourite of his works. It's perhaps not the best place to start, though. I'd recommend Grace (1994) for that.

Songs of Note: Nightmares by the Sea; Haven't You Heard

4 secret compartments out of 5