2 comments about I See You.

1. Third single from "Hey Babe", "I See You" is valuable to Juliana Hatfield fans for its collection of b-sides-- indeed all three of the cuts on here would have served "Hey Babe" well.
   
   "Feed Me", a delicate acoustic guitar-and-vocal number about anorexia, where Hatfield's girlish vocal goes far to nicely express the anguish of a girl trying so hard to be loved, was likely left off "Hey Babe" because of its similar mood to "Ugly" (also included here). Both, however, are superb pieces and well worth a listen.
   
   Admittedly, neither "Here Comes the Pain" (a decent mid-tempo piece) nor the explosive groupie attack "Rider" are really all that intriguing, but both are as good as the title track of this single and several of the pieces on "Hey Babe".
   
   But regardless, "Feed Me" alone is worth taking the time to dig up this single.



2. This 5 track EP is pretty good. The first two songs are on her "Hey Babe" album, so if you have that, this might not be so essential. Of course fanatics might need this. All 5 tracks sound as good as she looks.

5 comments about Beautiful Collision.

1. I was ready to write this one off, literally, after hearing it the first time, having written "no" next to where it was listed in my notes. So why did it keep haunting me? After a second, third, fourth listen, I became totally hooked. Runga's voice is so perfectly, crystal clear, and seductive, that she becomes absolutely irresistable. Jazz, piano pop, I don't know how to categorize this. It may take you a couple of listens, but if you like soft, intelligent jazz.pop.fusion, this may be for you. Five stars for the opening track, "Get Some Sleep," others get three, three 1/2, four ("Listening for the Weather"), but overall a four for this haunting cd.



2. The melodies are pretty dry, but if you're a big Bic Runca fan, then this is another worthy CD. When I listen to the lyrics, I feel like they are each a story on their own. Written in a style that might be fitting for standard country tunes. "Honest Goodbyes" gets my attention because some of the background instruments are placed so well. The flute or piccolo maybe it is, just captures the essence of the parting within the song. The lyrics don't grab me, even though they are well composed. I think the background noises probably help make this album a stand out for Bic Runga fans around, though I have not tried to concentrate so hard on the music to listen to every inkling. I like to be able to pick up on some things on a first or second listen, and this is not one of those type of CDs for me.
   
   So, I'm not feeling the music because I feel there could be more flair to the lyrics and the sound. Something more aggressive or more different and noticeable would help. I think her future album(s) will be worth waiting for.



3. Bic Runga's "Beautiful Collision" should be a part of every music lover's collection. The very first track on the album "when I see you smile," is a great example of the artistry that is Bic Runga. The album is full of rich imagery about love and all its abstract complexities, which is evoked through Bic Runga's very soft voice, that often veers towards ages past but is quick to bring you to the the present. The stand out track on this album is "Gravity" which I encourage everyone to listen to and you will come to know as I do that Bic Runga has taken the hard path down a road that may not lead toward an exuhuberant amount of records sales. But she has done a very noble thing and reqarded her audience as intelligent and is giving us music that respects and entertains us and will forever mark us as followers of her path toward making her kind of art



4. a friend mailed me this cd from new zealand and i had never heard of bic. the first time i heard this cd i hated it, and it was definitely a jump from all the indie and punk stuff he listens to, but this cd has become one of my absolute favorites.
   
   for me, the song election night is exactly what it feels like to be in love, and one of the most beautiful songs ever. my favorite.
   
   bic's voice is amazing, but while this is on my all time favorites list, i don't like the cd previous to this (drive) at all.



5. I just adore this CD, it's a really good soothing CD and I like it best when played straight through, though usually on a CD I'm jumping from one favourite song to another.
   I find Bic's voice very unique and I would recommend this CD to anyone I know.

5 comments about Comfort of Strangers (with Bonus Disc).

1. if you're trying to decide whether to shell out the extra five dollars for the bonus cd, i'd like to convince you that it is worth it.
   
   argument #1 = the tracks on the bonus cd are just as strong as the rest of the cd, not an afterthought. no crappy remixes to be found here.
   argument #2 = if two years ago beth orton put out a cd with five new songs on it for $5, you would have bought it without hesitation.
   argument #3 = title track comfort of strangers #9 is particularly good, with a duet with m ward (who co-wrote the song with beth orton).
   
   similar to pass in time, the comfort of strangers bonus disc is quality material, and well worth the extra dollars.



2. Beth Orton has a quality to her music that is not always immediately apparent upon first listening. Her songs, if given the chance, get inside of you and almost always find a permenant place there. Her voice, both in her vocal delivery and in her lyrics, have a beautiful, incomparable quality, wonderfully musical and poetic, if often difficult to understand -- obviously, deeply personal, yet ambiguous enough that the listener (as with any great art) can find their own personal meaning therewithin.
   
   With this album, "The Comfort of Strangers", Beth Orton brings her acoustic sensibilities, so prevalent from her live perfomances, more fully into the studio, creating her softest and most hauntingly beautiful album to date. I will leave it to others to expound on each particular track, but I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the "Limited Edition" disk contains (among others) two of the most beauiful songs ever recorded by any artist: "What We Begin", and "On My Way Home" -- each of which, like many of Ms. Orton's songs, draws you back time and again almost like an addiction you can't live without.
   
   Of all the little-known performers I've stumbled across in my years of musical exploration, Beth Orton has been, and remains, an absolute favorite.



3. Having loved the bassy beat-driven Daybreaker, Beth goes back to her Central Reservation roots with a more acoustic and "earthy" sounding album. Her voice still plays wonderfully amidst the poppy, Carole King-esque, guitar tunes. I have yet to find a heartstring tugger on this album, but I am sure in time one will emerge. Check out the music video for the first single as well. It is a good summarization of what you can expect on the album.



4. I have all of Beth's previous releases, and I think she's given us her best work yet! It was worth the long wait!



5. I was able to rip/import/download/whatever both discs without incident under OS X. Transferred to and plays on my iPod, as well.

5 comments about Country for True Lovers.

1. On this album, and the jazz EP "Maybe, Yes" it's hard to divine what Ms. Mandell wrote and what's a cover. Because to her own tunes and well-chosen covers alike she brings her unique brand of soulfulness, sultriness, wisdom, strength and vulnerability. I'm haunted by "Kingsport Town" and "Iowa City." I also love "I've Got a Tender Heart" and "You're All Bad (and That's Why You've Been Invited)".
   
   Now I love this album, as I love all her albums, but if you're new to Eleni Mandell I would not make this my first album. This is great, but I think "Miracle of Five," "Afternoon" and "Thrill" are better intros. On those albums nearly every song is a GEM. All her albums are chock full o' pearls, but those 3 are all all-out lustrous from beginning to end. Oh, who am I kidding, "Wishbone" is great too. Hell, they're ALL good. Look, just get them all. Treat yourself! Believe me, you're gonna end up getting them all anyway.



2. i love this cd. this is one of the most listenable country discs of the last decade. eleni mandell's vocals carry this material perfectly, her phrasing is divine. the instrumentation is subtle and tasteful. 12 songs, each one a gem, from slow torch songs to catchy uptempo melodies. get this disc and have a better life than the one you are having without it.



3. It's hard to really understand why Eleni has made an album of traditional country songs. Her artistic worth surely lies in a collision of styles, adding up to a stange and original leftfield hybrid. There's nothing remotely leftfield about this album. Maybe that's the point. As an album, as a straightahead country album, it's quite good. And it has a handful of excellent songs. But as a fourth instalment of the Eleni Mandell musical vision? It makes no sense when considered that way. But then, perhaps Eleni doesn't care that much about the evolution of her music. She made a country album because she loves country music. However, I think she has probably alienated alot of her loyal fans by doing so. Would a Tom Waits fan put up with the great man making an album of country music? Probably not. Eleni's last album, Snakebite, was her best and most extreme, and suggested she may move even further into leftfield territory. But now this confounding change of tack. In a way, her wilful disregard of what is expected, is to be admired. In another way, it's hard as a music listener not to shake one's head and wonder at what's going on. She has the freedom to make whatever music she wishes. But does this mean that she actually should? This album is very valid, in that it makes one question whether one should expect anything at all from a favoured artist. Whether it's wrong to want an artist to pursue a certain path over another. Like when Phil Ochs, at the start of the seventies, started doing covers of Buddy Holly. His fans reacted badly. Personally I wish Eleni had not made a country album, because country has been done to death. She does not contribute anything to the genre that hasn't been contributed before. I sincerely hope that this is a one-off project, that she is not now a country artist. If the next album she makes is more of the same, I won't buy it. Loyalty only stretches so far. Eleni is an original talent, and has the ability to continue to make original, offbeat music. Whether she does or not, is entirely her decision.



4. I saw Eleni Mandell in New Orleans at the Mermaid Louge under swooping cars above. She came on stage, just her with her little guitar and her bassist, and showed us what a great performace should be. Nevermind that Tulane Radio SHOULD HAVE gotten us in without a cover. Nevermind the really, really bad bands before her. She was great.
   So I got the CD. At the time I was listening to a lot of Kelly Hogan, who has an angelic voice (as you allready know). Eleni, as I call her, is a cousin of Kellys musically, but a differnt peach as well. She has soul. She has a great taste. She knows how to write and sing a song.
   She said on stage, probably a joke that she repeats often from up there, "I always say nobody should ever cover Tom Waits songs or this one." Then she sang a beautiful rendition of It's Raining. Even if you aren't a True Lover, you might like this Country.



5. Excellent musicianship, top-quality production, fantastic performance. Eleni Mandell has a voice perfectly suited for the "music of pain," and she wrings a lot out of it here. The instrumentation is blissfully simple and never distracting; a perfect companion for Mandell's spare vocalizations. If you have ever mistaken a Garth Brooks tune for something by N' Sync, but know old Hank Williams and Patsy Cline tunes by heart, this is an album you'll appreciate.

   Grab Country for True Lovers, K.D. Lang's Shadowland, and Neko Case's Furnace Room Lullabies, and you'll be set for a whole evening of two-stepping and crying in your beer when your best friend steals your girl, and your dog drives off with your truck.

5 comments about Juvenilia.

1. This is the Liz Phair I love. Raw, sexy, funny, gritty, real. Nothing like her recent work, which is made for the masses. This album is great. I love it and it should be re-released.



2. These days you don't see much of Liz Phair, the comical and witty songwriter who mesmerized rock fans in the 90s. She released a mediocre pop album in 2005 and since then has not even showed her face in the public eye nor gave her fans an inkling as to what she has been doing. But, I will forget about present cirumstances.
   
   1995's "Juvenilia" EP collects some of Phair's best work. And by best work I mean it includes clippings of her infamous 1991 demo tapes, Girlysound. "Jealously" is up there as far as commercially released Phair songs but nothing can get you past the beauty of "Easy". The song EASILY could pass as Phair's most impressive piece. From the guitar strumming at the beginning behind Phair's deep, monotone, nictotine stained vocals, you can't beat it. The song along with "Dead Shark" don't make me miss "old Liz", it just makes me smile to know that I own a piece of work that I truly enjoy and can place meaning to.



3. Great cd. I got mine online. I was fortunite enough to get it for a reasonible price and it was in good condition. I like the artwork on the cover, and the songs are awesome. Batmobile is neat if you're a Batman fan, and California is not only funny, its a really good song.



4. I remember my excitement when I found this CD at an obscure LA record shop. I was certainly not let down. "Animal Girl" is a must-have for any adolescent female experiencing the dawn of puberty and female sexuality. Phair follows up these early songs with more mature efforts such as "Exile and Guyville" and "Whitechocolatespaceegg", which build on this solid foundation.



5. Juvenilia, the coveted Liz release, is a rare find indeed. I was lucky enough to find it at a cd store in good condition. One of the reasons this cd is sought out is for the Girly Sound songs that appear, these are songs that Liz wrote before her debut album. The songs appear remastered along with other rarities. There is Jealousy the song that appears from the Whipsmart album. It's hypnotic bass pulls you in, and you can't help but want to headbang to the song.
   Liz also does some piano work on this record which is a nice listen. But the star songs of the album have to be the Girly Sound songs. Each are fun listens and you may even get a giggle or two out of them. Find this album and buy it, you won't regret it.

5 comments about The Last Dog & Pony Show.

1. Jeezuz. this is a GREAT album. I should not have been suprised, he is such a rockn'roll treasure (but at my age, I have to headbang in private.)
   Bob Mould is a GREAT rocker, he does everything right, period. Don't make room for any wannabees, Bob, you keep on with your bad self..I want to hear you doing this when you are seventy! c



2. i love this album, but not as good as bob's latest, body of soul. i got it at emusic. only cost me about 2.50 for all 12 cuts.



3. Supposedly this is the last rocking electric buzzsaw guitar styling Mould release...which is sad, "If it ain't broken...why fix it". So far he hasn't made a traditional Mould album since this album(well a live album from this tour). So, this may be the last true Mould album. It's admirable that the guy is as good as his word. But in a way it's sad there will never be a decent Bob Mould album for us rockers to enjoy. Don't get me wrong, I like his acoustic stuff but the dance stuff on "Modulate"(which I haven't heard yet) isn't my cup of tea.
   
   Well this record turned out pretty awesome...about as good as the last "hebcap" album, except less depressing and more uprising. A good thing about this is the absence of a drum machine and the attendence of a real drummer. Standout cuts are"New#1" "Moving Truck", "Classifieds", "Skintrade", and "Reflecting Pool". The track "Megamanic" is good for laughs.



4. Bob Mould is a songwriting genius. This album has a certain vibe to it. It really starts to grow on you.



5. From his work in alternative rock innovators Husker Du, through the more radio-friendly Sugar, and four solo albums, Bob Mould has touched on the best of punk, folk, power-pop and modern rock, influencing countless artists in the process. Dave Grohl is one of his most famous fans, and its hard to imagine the Foos without Husker Du having existed. This 1998 album was his last fully-electric one before a long hiatus, recently ended with soem electronic dabblings.

   Its a respectable but unspectacular signoff. It starts quite well with New #1, a strangely addictive acoustic number which lacks a chorus in the traditional sense, but packs some punch as it builds. Taking Everything is the highpoint, an obvious single with a catchy refrain.

   Skintrade also stands out, as does Classifieds, with its cynical analysis of looking for a partner in classified columns. Like all Bob's songs about relationships, the lyrics aren't gender-specific, due undoubtedly to Bob being perhaps punk's first openly gay star. There is a more sensitive string-laden Along the Way to close, but less impressive are by-the-numbers tracks like Moving Trucks and Vaporub.

   Although not bad, and worth ahivng in the collection, it can't be recommended as a starting point. Try Sugar's Copper Blue for a poopier sound, or Bob's self titled solo album, but for the real Husker Du deal, it has to be New Day Rising.

1 comments about Diamonds on the Inside.

1. Just what i needed for a rainy day, a NEW BEN HARPER ALBUM, BEST YET NO DOUBT. He does the whole rainbow, the way only Ben Harper can, with great reggae like MY OWN TWO HANDS, great ballads in varieties of both folk and rock sounds like EVERYTHING and DIAMONDS INSIDE. The album touches other genres as well, from 70's funk to African-style gospel alla Paul Simon, and he does them well. While Ben Harper has always done different styles of music and done them fantastically, he feels less confined by the various genres here. He somehow shines through the music much more consistently on this album and seems more in touch with each of the songs as he sings them. I think unlike previous albums, where three or four tracks clearly stood out from the rest, here ther are legitimately 8-10 GREAT SONGS, depending on your tastes. If you liked Ben Harper before, this is by far his most compelling studio effort. The album breaks manages to maintain and even amplify what has made Ben Harper great till now, while breaking new ground and being original, and it miraculously does this over complete album, with only 2-3 tracks i'd classify as good-mediocre Ben Harper. The rest will shine, you might not like all, but if there aren't at least 5 or 6 songs you LOVE on this album you are not a Ben Harper fan. For people new to Ben Harper, this is the album to get. While some MAY argue that LIVE FROM MARS is more intimate, or that there favourite song was on FIGHT FOR YOUR MIND, I would be surprised to hear anyone say this wasn't his best album yet easily. So if you are interested in the BEST ARTIST OUT THERE, this is the albums to grab for sure. And for everyone who does, and everyone who doesn't too, there is a TOUR coming, with another new light Jack Johnson, coming this year, so COME OUT, and support REAL ARTISTS and people who love their music. Enjoy the Album everyone.

4 comments about Progress.

1. "June 18, 1976" struck me as one of the most sad and beautiful songs I have ever heard, so I bought this disc. (And I have cred in this arena, as a fan of goth *and* country, ha ha!)
   
   He sings with a lazy muffle, as if he's too weary to sing one more song ever again. However, the music is dynamic despite being simple, and far from the boring guitar strummings of other alt. folk style musicians.
   I don't have any other Pedro stuff, yet, but look forward to hearing more.



2. On their two full length CDs and handful of E.P.s, Pedro the Lion have fully explored life through the prism of a flexible, humanistic Christianity. Singer-guitarist-songwriter David Bazan has never let dogma contaminate his artistic empathy; there's nothing haranguing about his love of Jesus. Nothing has changed with Progress. The songs are solid. Yet on the heels of Winners Never Quit earlier this year, these four tunes showcase a melancholy that borders monotony. Bazan's voice, pleasant as it is, has a ponderous ache. He needs lighter settings than those he's given himself here, or more uptempo tracks to vary the pace.



3. the first song on this album is quite possibly the most depressing song that i have ever heard in my life, but it still provides something more than just pain, as it leaves you with some warmth. david once again shows us that he can feel anyone's pain and is willing to share it with all of us. the ep shouls be purchased, if only for this one song. the second song is also more of a throw-back to whole and the only reason i feel secure, their first two releases. if you found their last release a bit on the poppy side, then this should give you more of a picture of what pedro the lion can churn out, even if it does fail to provide more than two new tracks. in short, if you like the slower side of pedro the lion, then this album is worth bying, but if you enjoyed winners never quit more than any of the others, then this may not be a wise purchase.



4. Pedro the Lion is solid and strong with their 3rd EP release, "Progress". The mood is mellow and rich as David Bazan delivers his sermon on life, living, and the troubles we have to learn to deal with. Surprisingly darker than their previous releases, the first track "june 18, 1976" is a story of a young unwed girl who gives her child away to say good-bye with a trajic suicide. The culimination and over-empowering emotion in the song is worth the EP price alone. The song finishes off with a haunting reverb of the lyrics "each one in awe/for they'd never seen a girl/so sad and beautiful", which describes the song perfectly. The next song, "april 6, 2039", is a melancholic look at a life who's been worn out and dying, far stuck inside "progress'" gearwork. The feel and mood to the song is constant and for the most part unchanging, but this perhaps adds to the songs emphasis on dying within the system of life. To finish the EP up, they include "of up and coming monarchs" from "It's Hard to Find a Friend" and "letter from a concerned follower" off of the 2nd EP, "The Only Reason I Feel Secure"; both songs equally deserving of an encore, though I would have appreciated some more b-sides. If anything this EP shows you the change to a darker and more melancholic mood for Pedro, which I feel is their strong point. If you like this release, definitely go buy their first release and EP, "whole", which offers an extraordinary look into the progression of a person from life's pain to extreme bliss. "Whole" would definitely still have to be my favorite release, but this EP comes in at a close second.

5 comments about Never Home.

1. Freedy Johnston fills Never Home, his follow-up to the flawless This Perfect World, with a host of intelligent, detailed stories about memorable characters.
   
   Johnston kicks off the album with "On The Way Out," a driving slice of rock. The song tells the story of a shoplifter whose cleverness appears to be wasted on a store clerk who couldn't care less. A version of this song appeared the year before on the soundtrack to the movie Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead. I liked the rougher production of the earlier version, but the version on Never Home features stronger drumming.
   
   Johnston's gift is painting pictures with his lyrics, and he doesn't disappoint on this album. "Western Sky" is a beautiful, rather offbeat tale of a man petrified of flying after his father died in a plane crash; you can not only feel his pain, but chuckle at the thought of how his fear might make a family trip to Disneyland an enormous hassle. "Gone To See The Fire" is told from the point of view of a girl who is starting to make some disturbing discoveries about her boyfriend. Sure, she's horrified, but she's also just plain irritated about being lied to. "If It's True" movingly examines a young man wrestling with the notion of becoming a father: "If I won't believe my own advice / I could never fool a child / And they don't forgive you once they see you've tried." And "Seventies Girl" deals with how the ghosts of the past aren't so easily dismissed.
   
   I wouldn't mind if the album rocked a little more. "On The Way Out" really whets my appetite for some big, loud guitars, but Johnston only cuts loose one more time for the rest of the album, on "One More Thing To Break." This is a very minor complaint, though. It's still a wonderful collection of songs.



2. I discovered Freedy through "This Perfect World" which I bought after hearing "Bad Reputation" (still as good a single as pop-chart radio has played in the last ten years). That album was a revelation - tuneful, literate lyrics, songs that engaged you and made you think, and melodies that stuck in your head for weeks. "Never Home" doesn't reach that level, but if you like Freedy (and not everyone does, I realize) you won't be disappointed in this effort. Freedy's gift for catchy melodies is in full evidence here, but, for me, the joy is in listening to the stories these songs are telling. Like a book of Raymond Carver short stories, his cast of quirky characters includes shoplifters, arsonists, aging hippies, UFO abductees and kids having an unwanted baby. You don't catch all this stuff right away, but, like a good book, the stories unfold the more you get into it. At the same time, there are a couple of achingly beautiful love songs in "Western Skies" and "You Get Me Lost". If you're unfamiliar with Freedy, I recommend "This Perfect World" as the first one to buy. However, if you have, and like, that great album, this is a very satisfying follow up that won't disappoint.



3. Long Time Freedy fan here, This Perfect World was a masterpiece but DON'T make the mistake of comparing this album to it. A truely great album like that requires 3 things. Talent, Skill, (one is mostly born-with and the other can to a large extent be learned), and INSPIRATION. Even "the greats" need that spark, that external "catalyst" that set's a great work in motion. This one to me sounds like a very talented very skilled songwriter, (with the exception of 5 out of 11), kinda running on autopilot. The GOOD news is, he's so talented and SKILLED he can pull off a pretty damn listenable effort on almost craft alone.
   It kicks off with bang! "On The Way Out" ROCKS, Great song, but immediately falters, searching for.... direction... inspiration... track 2 and 3 almost get off the ground but for me, didn't hold up to repeated listenings. Track 4, filler. Track 5, on "He Wasn't Murdered" he finally breaks out another big gun. I disagree with at least one other reviewer who complained that the rockers on this album paled in comparision with the mellower tracks. Granted there's a lot fewer OF THEM, but these two tracks, (1 and 5) are the rockers and absolutely among this album's highlights. The other stand out tracks for me were,
   6. You Get Me Lost
   7. Hotel Seventeen and
   10. If It's True
   I took a LONG time to "digest" this album and those were the ones that ended up still shining and the end of the road.
   A lot of people seemd to like 70's Girl, and Western Sky, which I found, very plesent ear-candy for sure, (great lyrics) but over repeated listenings for me became "sing-song-ey" fluff. I need to be engaged by the lyrics and the music both. 1 out of 2 ain't enough. They had no "hook" or the hook they had didn't "hook" ME... Basically what you've got here is one half a great album. If I'd been his producer/label I'd have told him to come back when he had at least 3 more songs as good as, as INSPIRED AS, the ones mentioned above. If you're a Freedy fan already you won't be sorry you added this to your collection. If not, this might not be the best place to start.



4. To me, this CD is another one of his mellow works. I have listened to it dozens of times. Of all of Freedy's work, this one took the longest to grow on me. Perfect World blew me away immediately like no other CD, comparing it to that I give it 4 enthusiastic stars. It is more on the lines of Blue Days , slow and hipnotic. It does have a couple of rockers that pale to the slower tunes that I favor. A must have for any Johnston fan.



5. Johnston simply oozes talent and Never Home is a bid to break into the mainstream. It's a little formulaic but still works the magic of simple stories set to uplifting music...more upbeat than This Perfect World and Rainy Days, Black Nights, but it's the ballad Western Sky that is the standout - rich, evocative, tragic - like country music without the annoying twang. Like Ron Sexsmith, Wilco, Tracy Chapman, Matthew Sweet, Natalie Merchant et al? Get into Freedy NOW!

5 comments about Songs to No One 1991-1992.

1. Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas met at the Greetings From Tim Buckley tribute concert at St. Ann's Church. The two wanted to play Sefronia, and so they were paired together for the event. A friendship and a musical partnership grew. The following are the recordings done during the union.
   
   This CD is a curiosity, a must for those with the desire to fill their Jeff Buckley collection and a raw, strange musical experiment for others who might be unfamiliar with Buckley's other work.
   
   Fans, do not be discouraged from buying the CD. Jeff's vocals are as amazing as always. Lucas's style is obviously different than Buckley's, but it is also interesting to see how the two worked together and shaped each other's music. However, the vocals and the guitar don't mesh nearly as well as they did when Buckley created his own band with Michael Tighe, Mick Grondahl, and Matt Johnson. Still, we get to hear the beginning stages of several songs Buckley recorded later in his career including Mojo Pin, a really nice variation of Grace both recorded in a studio and performed live, and Satisfied Mind. There are also several new songs. The live Cruel has the feel of a classic rock song mixed with a few modern elements. She is Free stands out too; you'll probably find yourself bobbing your head along to its mellow rhythm.
   
   The CD was not meant to be released to the public; the recordings were used for personal use. We get to hear Buckley playing with his voice, using different and primitive methods to create something that works. All of the imperfections are included here like wrong notes, false starts, feedback from the microphone, and moody humming. However, this is something special to hear, something we only hear in Buckley's live recordings and something cherished by most fans for being spontaneous and real. The CD ends with a very funny but short bit with Buckley acting as if he were a preacher, yet another reminded that he was a truly gifted performer.



2. In 1991 the chief draw to these tapes would have been the acclaimed former Magic Band guitarist Gary Lucas. Now, of course, the presence of a 25-year old Jeff Buckley who was yet to make his recording debut is of overriding interest and the reason for these shelved demos, radio broadcasts, club performances and studio sessions recorded between August 1991 and April 1992 seeing the light of day. One of the major voices of his generation, he was sadly only to live another five years and to produce only one finished album in his lifetime.
   No shoddy cash-in, this collection was commissioned and assembled under the watchful eyes of Mary Guibert, Jeff Buckley's mother, and Michael Dorf, from the Knitting Factory, where some of these live recordings originated. Its eleven tracks, beginning with a shattering performance of Edith Piaf's Hymne A L'Amour, document a critical moment in the formative period of Buckley's career, and include early versions of Mojo Pin and Grace, pivotal songs that Jeff Buckley wrote in collaboration with Gary Lucas while they were in the band Gods And Monsters, and which appeared on the album Grace with Gary Lucas guesting on guitar. The pair had met in April 1991 at the time of a tribute concert held at St Ann's Church in Brooklyn for Tim Buckley, Jeff's father, when both had wanted to perform the song Sefronia.
   The twelve months that followed were transforming for Jeff Buckley's singing and musical direction and some of the key moments are documented here, including moments from the night at the Knitting Factory on 22 March 1992, broadcast live on the Music Faucet Show on WFMU, ten days after he had announced his decision to leave the band for a solo career, where, at the end of a tension-filled performance, he stayed on stage to perform an unaccompanied and poignant rendition of A Satisfied Mind.
   This track has been embellished for this release for some reason, with additional guitar performed by Bill Frisell. This is a questionable practice but the end result does not sound unnatural or overstated. One other track has been doctored; She Is Free, which was a duet rehearsal recording made at Gary Lucas's home in January 1992, now more extravagantly features the band Sex Mob simulating the sort of direction Jeff Buckley was to develop within his music in the following year. Both Mary Guibert and the producer Hal Willner assure us that these overdubs improve the original recordings and that Jeff Buckley would have approved, though I feel slightly uneasy listening to something by him that he never heard.
   Listening to the raw talent on show in these recordings, the subsequent success of Jeff Buckley, live and on record, was clearly inevitable



3. If I was told that, for the rest of my life, I could only listen to one artist or band, I'd go with Jeff Buckley. I'm not obsessed with the guy and his music, but I just see so much to appreciate and respect.
   
   That's why Songs To No One is so hard to stomach. It's not great.
   
   To compare this to his other work is pointless; even Sketches, as uneven and unfinished as it was, it's lows would be considered highs for most other artists. Here, the bar for greatness is lowered a few feet.
   
   "She Is Free" & "Song To No One" sound rough and raw, but the demo sounds suits them. Both songs, particularly the former, are solid additions to the Buckley catalogue. They don't sound like anything he went on to record, but, as a testament to Jeff's versatility, they're still great.
   
   The rest of the CD, not so much. I'd say there's a reason that Mojo Pin and Grace are the only songs from this collection that he wanted to release. You'd think that listening to two takes of Grace would be a treat, but suprisingly, it's not. Why listen to crappy versions of an excellent song when you could just listen to it on Grace?
   
   Aside from the songs I mentioned, there's no reason to own this CD besides compulsion.
   
   If you really, really love Jeff Buckley's music, then be warned. Otherwise, skip it.



4. I didn't even know about this album until I was browsing around at the store, and then I saw it there. I noticed that it had a few songs from Sketches and Grace, but I bought it anyways. Little did I know how incredible it would turn out. The songs on the album showcase beautifully Jeff's voice. Nevermind trying to equalize him with the band. Also, some of the other songs are different than what I was used to hearing. "Harem Man" and "Malign Fiesta" were heavier with the rock and roll, but Jeff's voice still beats it all. I love this album.



5. It's probably a good bet that the majority of people who buy this CD are doing it because of the name Jeff Buckley. I did. Of course there's no denying the incredible talent that Jeff gave us. But what this album did for me is to spark the fuse into learning more about the music of the extraordinarily versatile, Grammy-nominated Gary Lucas. What few may realize is that without Gary, there is no "Grace" or "Mojo Pin," as he is the creator of those hauntingly sweet musical notes (Jeff wrote the words). Although the song "Grace" from Jeff's solo LP is a beautifully polished studio version, this CD contains not one, but two earlier variants which exude a nascent energy not so evident on Jeff's solo album.

   Although the song "Grace" is one of my favorite songs in the world, I actually prefer the two versions on "Songs to No One" because the raw tones of Gary's guitar and Jeff's voice sound much more vulnerable and passionate without such a full, heavy back-up orchestration. On the club Roulette live performance of Grace, Jeff starts out with an innocent little harmonica tune which seems to swiftly end in a minor chord which gently, but firmly captures the ear and immerses the soul into a musical orgy with those infamous first rifts of the song. I'm not particularly fond of the harmonica spotlights later found in the song, but for true lovers of "Grace," it's interesting to hear early launches of the song.

   This version of "Mojo Pin," is refreshing because of its simplicity. I never realized how much the heavy bass and drums really weighed down this song on the album, "Grace." Jeff's voice is beautifully showcased, being impelled and kept lightly afloat by Gary's fluid whisperings of guitar. The end of the song is a bit raucous, but it feels like a welcome release of energy.

   This album is not for those looking for neatly packaged, polished, bubblegum pop music, which is probably why some of the reviews here are not glowing. This music requires a sophisticated ear with depth to absorb the true musical genius of both musicians, which is sometimes baked underneath a slightly rough exterior caused by these demo and live performances, which, to my understanding, were never intended to be released in album form. Personally, I hope this CD helps propel word of the grotesquely underrated luminary who obviously had a great impact on Jeff's development: Gary Lucas. I've recently discovered his diverse repertoire of rich troves and have unearthed some of the most incredible harmonies I've ever heard in my life. If you're a fan of Jeff Buckley, I'd highly recommend Gary's albums, "Skeleton at the Feast," and "Level the Playing Field," both highly-praised albums by well-respected critics. They're both utterly spectacular.