Posted on: August 28, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Individuals that have been around the music scene for a few years will undoubtedly have heard of Jeff Buckley. I know that I got into music a few years too late to hear any of Buckley’s stuff back when it was new, but I heard the legend of Buckley’s name every few months for about the last decade. When I actually received a copy of “So Real”, I was able to go and begin to understand exactly why Buckley loomed so large over the alternative and indie music scenes.

This album acts as a good compilation of Buckley tracks, with the version of “Hallelujah” that individuals might know Buckley for the most, as well as tracks that were previously unreleased. A track like “I Know It’s Over”, a song that was originally done by The Smiths, was never released on any format. When Buckley and eir band recorded it for WNEW in 1995, it was cut from the live broadcast. The inclusion of “I Know It’s Over” with other rare tracks like the acoustic, Japanese version of “So Real” and “Je N’en Connais Pas La Fin” make this album a must-buy for Buckley completists. The fact is that there is not much in the way of material released in the time when Buckley was alive, so it becomes hard to really understand the context in which Buckley was doing this music. The compilation “So Real” is not a full discography, but attempts its’ hardest to go and give listeners some semblance of this context.

An expanded version of “So Real” should come out in the next few years, perhaps as a boxed set or a CD/DVD value pack. This would allow more in the way of printed information, as well as give individuals the full story about Buckley. The tracks here are plentiful; well over an hour awaits anyone that listens in, but the efforts are so different in tone in style that I wonder if there are pieces out there that if included would give individuals a better idea. Still, “So Real” is an album that is a must-buy for anyone that is trying to get a good idea of why Jeff Buckley is so loved even now, around 10 years after ey died. The inclusion of rarer tracks should just be icing on the cake; “So Real” should be in any music fan’s collection.

Top Tracks: I Know It’s Over, Hallelujah

Rating: 6.5/10

Jeff Buckley – So Real / 2007 Sony / 14 Tracks / http://www.sony.com / Reviewed 15 June 2007

Leave a Comment