Jeff Buckley- ‘So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley’ (SonyBMG) Released 28/05/07

Jeff Buckley is responsible for giving us some of the most intensely beautiful pieces of music ever committed to tape. This year marks the tenth anniversary of his death. And so here is the inevitable, obligatory commemorative compilation of his work. The album opens with one of the best examples of his talent: ‘Last Goodbye’. It’s the greatest showcase for Buckley’s vocals. It never does fail to amaze how they sweep and soar so elegantly whilst encompassing so much passion and emotion. And if you are not moved by Buckley’s emotional pleas of “Kiss me/Please Kiss me/Kiss me out of desire baby not consolation  then you have no heart. One of the ultimate break-up songs is followed up by more of the same with ‘Lover You Should Have Come Over’.  Of course, his seminal interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ also gets its place here.

Along with these highlights from Buckley’s only official studio album ‘Grace’, this collection also gathers tracks from the posthumous release ‘Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk’, as well as live recordings, which are mostly taken from his ‘Live At Sine’ EP. Of these ‘Everybody Here Wants You’ and ‘The Sky Is A Landfill’ remain among Buckley’s greatest moments, whilst the live recordings are simply magical. It’s worth noting that there are just two previously unreleased tracks, a very fine and moving cover of The Smiths’ ‘I Know It’s Over ‘and a live acoustic of ‘So Real’ recorded in Japan.

In all, the music is faultless and the only real criticism that can be made is of the release itself, for there is a lingering doubt behind the motives of this collection. Such releases will always be met with the criticism that it is merely a cynical money-making ploy. And this is no exception.