Jeff Buckley “Grace” album is one of those iconic records. It was a dark horse of story-telling and personal tales that resonated with the world upon its release. “Grace” was such an epic release and still sits fondly in many a collection. It found its way into the hearts and homes of millions, the media giving it high accolades. I remember the album’s release well; at that time I was working in music retail, the industry buzz was enormous as was the energy and emotion surrounding it. However, my music tastes in 1994 were far from anything near Jeff Buckley; I personally was deep into Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Pantera, Motley Crue, Kiss and was clutching to the rapidly declining hair metal scene that had guided me through my teens. I had become a musically angry young man. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed the singles from the album but it wasn’t an album I would play, maybe it was the maturity, depth and emotion of such an album that I wasn’t ready for at that time.
How I didn’t catch on to Jeff Buckley and immerse myself in his music until 2007’s best of “So Real : Songs From Jeff Buckley” is what amazes me. I guess it comes down to the timing, exploration of my newly discovered love of other singer songwriters, storytellers and intricate performers. It’s a strange thing to think that it took the “Grace” album to go platinum eight times before I truly discovered it and embraced it.
Today’s date is a special one, it signifies the 30th anniversary of the release of “Grace”. Tonight, Jason Singh and band took on the massive challenge of performing it front to back. The whole “Grace” album is one hell of a performance on record let alone live.
Warming up a near capacity Memo Music Hall was singer songwriter, guitarist and member of Melbourne three-piece Bottle Of Smoke, Errin Kelly. Kelly who has a two-decade long career as a songwriter and performer in Melbourne is almost a hidden treasure, what I mean by that is if you know; you know how talented this man is. Tonight, we got to see another side of Kelly as he played a forty-minute set that was raw and stripped back. Just a man, a guitar, his voice and a set of original songs performed in the way they were written. Kelly’s voice is one of those voices that doesn’t need a microphone, it’s big it’s bold, emotive, beautiful and so damn powerful. I am sure he could have been heard by the whole venue without a PA it’s just that big. Stepping under the spotlight tonight and taking centre stage is something Errin Kelly needs to get used to.
During the change-over and break between sets the haunting voice of Jeff Buckley and the story behind the album played through the venue’s speakers. For the uninitiated this added a depth to what tonight’s show was about, for the fans it was as if the spirit of Buckley himself had graced us.
Singh’s band comprised of a mix of well-seasoned Melbourne musicians as well as uncovered some incredible new talent for me. Vocalist Amalia Foy and guitarist Mitch Cowen shone so brightly tonight. The band consisting of musical director and keyboardist Jeremy Diffey, Drummer Spyda Marrett, Bassist Gav Pierce and Guitarist David Jones were stellar and integral to the delivery of this show. Jason Singh of was the frontline magic on the stage tonight; his passion love and personal journey with this record came to the forefront. In typical Singh style we were engaged in his story telling which was personal at times. The influence of this album and Jeff Buckley period on his life connected each and every one of us present tonight.
When Jason Singh decides to pay tribute to his heroes and influences it is always done out of absolute respect and celebration. Tonight was no exception. From the opening notes of ‘Mojo Pin’ there was a haunting electricity in the room as it built. There was a nervousness to Jason tonight that I hadn’t witnessed before in one of his performances as he divulged just how important this album was to him. How putting this show together was one of his biggest challenges as he confessed to putting in a thousand hours of personal time into fine tuning his performance for this show which explained the nerves. Those nerves seemed to disappear quite quickly as he settled into the set.
‘Grace’ introduced us all to the significance of this record to Singh as he began to tell his journey with this album. From a performance perspective this was where the penny dropped and solidified that his cast of musicians were the perfect choice in delivering this album live.
‘Last Goodbye’ is a track Singh recorded for his 2018 release “Vale”. The songs personal significance was told in story as it also signified the moment that he and his now wife shared their first kiss. Jason also revealing that Jeff Buckley was the soundtrack to other firsts with his wife with a wide grin. Again, Singhs honest and open storytelling can’t help but draw you into the connection with the music. I have to say this is one of those songs I will never get tired of hearing.
‘Lilac Wine’ was delivered with such beauty and was the first real moment that the beauty of Amalia Foy’s voice struck. This song in particular is one of the tracks I wondered how they could reproduce live and in typical fashion Singh and band knocked it out of the park.
‘So Real’ is the song that I knew would be right in Singh’s wheel house and deliver it magnificently he did; the whole band did.
‘Hallelujah’ the Leonard Cohen penned track is delightfully haunting as Jason brought his dear friend Tim Rizolli to the stage to trade lines with and what a treat it was. The texture and difference in their voices complimented each other so well. When the best voices in the world have covered this song, the benchmark is high. Buckley’s version was nothing short of perfect, tonight we got a taste of perfection in this performance. Guitarist Mitch Cowen accompanied the two voices with such delicacy and feel, shining a light on just how huge a talent this young guitarist is.
‘Corpus Christi Carol’ was in my eyes the biggest challenge to replicate live and through the incredible talent of Amalia Foy, it was delivered with that same haunting beauty that Buckley pulled from within himself, that in itself show how special this performance was. The addition of Singh just added to the magic. This for me was the defining moment in which you knew Singh understood this album and the performance required to recreate it. What was evident is that this was about paying respect to the original and making it work so darn well.
‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Over’ is a delicate and romantic song that again was delivered with all of the original passion and emotion embedded.
Before the band launched into the rockiest track on the album ‘Eternal’ Jason told the story of how they used to play this in the covers band before he joined Taxiride and how the band loved the energy and vibe of the track. Again, this track was delivered with the same feel and energy that the recording has, big bold and powerful in its performance.
‘Dream Brother’ closed out tonight’s set as the final track on the “Grace” album, this track for me just leaves and lends itself to wanting more.
Thankfully there was an encore of two more songs ‘Forget Her” which was dropped from the original release of the album in favour of ‘So Real” but has seen its rightful place reinstated on the streaming version of the album.
My favourite Buckley song ‘Everybody Wants You Here’ closed out tonight’s show but not before Singhs expression of gratitude to all in attendance. From those that sang every word with Jason to those in the audience who weren’t completely familiar, perhaps hearing these songs for the first time. There was a humble and heartfelt sincerity in Singhs thank you to a room full of love. The performance of ‘Everybody Wants You Here’ brought back the significance of this song to me in personally, everything that it stood for came flooding back and that’s the beauty of music.
To say that Jason and his band pulled it off or got away with such a huge ask is an understatement. What I came to feel from this show is just how live the “Grace” album felt in its performance; that sentiment and emotion were magically portrayed tonight. As a one-off show there has been so much work and attention to detail in piecing it all together. Jason, his band and the team behind him should be extremely proud of the show they delivered tonight, it was a joy to witness and experience. For those in attendance I am sure my sentiments are shared. Simply put this show deserves a wider audience and to be toured around the country, for fans it’s a treat, its respectful, tasteful and so engaging. I would see an encore performance of this show in a heartbeat, simply to take all of the magic in again.
Setlist : Mojo Pin, Grace, Last Goodbye, Lilac Wine, So Real, Hallelujah, Corpus Christi Carol, Lover (You Should’ve Come Over), Eternal Life, Dream Brother
Encore : Forget Her, Everybody Wants You Here
Photos by Shot By Slaidins Photography
GALLERY
