Jeff Buckley - Mystery White Boy

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Free Music Notes for Mystery White Boy

Free Music Review: After Grace, you NEED this
Hit: 5 Stars

Mystery White Boy is not a full recording of one of Buckley's concerts but a comprehensive collection of his greatest live performances culled by his mother, Mary Guibert, and former band mate, Michael Tighe. Mary and Michael started work on this project about two years after Jeff's unfortunate death in May of 1997. Buckley was in Memphis to record his follow up to his critically acclaimed studio album, Grace, and after a particularly frustrating rehearsal, decided to take a walk with a friend of his. They ended up at a tributary of the Mississippi river, and Buckley couldn't help himself but to jump in, fully clothed. Happy and relaxed, he was last seen alive floating on his back, singing a Led Zeppelin tune, before the current from a passing boat carried him away. Music was an integral part of Jeff Buckley's life, up to his last moments on earth.

It is easy to forget, though, that this energetic and talented man is no longer with us while listening to the beauty of this live album. All the songs slide beautifully into the next, accompanying each other well. The album starts out with the Indian sitar sounding "Dream Brother" that Buckley chose to position last on Grace, this only full album to be released during his own lifetime. This switch in positioning does not confuse the listener but only adds to the dreamy, trance-like quality conveyed by a Jeff Buckley show. The song starts out quietly, with murmurs from the audience in the background, but Buckley quickly grabs their attention. He extends the instrumental intro to this song for a delightful two minutes and thirty seconds, and then afterwards his smooth voice comes in as the listener's pulse begins to rise. With the introduction of the chorus, the volume increases and the listener perceives the urgency in Buckley's voice. "Don't be like the one that makes me so old, Don't be like the one who left behind his name, `Cause they're waiting for you, Like I waited for mine and nobody ever came," he hollers before breaking into a soft wailing session. He eventually reaches a high E pitch, which he sustains for a beautifully long period of time. Pitches of this height are not irregular for Buckley; he can sing in four octaves easily. For the next three minutes, the song collapses like a breaking wave into sheer rock madness, bringing the total length of the song to almost eight minutes. However, Buckley's music never leaves the listener checking their watch.

There are many other great songs interspersed throughout this album: new songs such as "What Will You Say" and "I Woke Up in a Strange Place" that Buckley unveiled for the first time on tour, old standards from his debut, Grace ("Mojo Pin," "Grace," "Last Goodbye,) and excellent covers. He brings Nina Simone's "Lilac Wine" to a different, yet equally as good, jazzy place as she does in her own version. The energy he puts into an extended version of "Kangaroo," originally by Big Star, is awe-inspiring. This song also showcases Buckley's exquisite guitar playing skills. Usually the listener is transfixed by his voice, but in this song, the guitar is key. Jeff extends this hit of the `70's into an eight minute jam session that begs the listener to jump along with Jeff's exuberant energy.

But perhaps the best song on this album is the last - the "Hallelujah/I Know It's Over" medley. The tender passion Buckley puts into this mix of Leonard Cohen and The Smiths singles cannot be denied. This rendition takes on special significance because of the coupling of "Hallelujah" itself and the chorus of The Smith's "I Know It's Over." In a quite, strained whisper he sings, "Oh mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head, And as I climb into an empty bed, Oh I, enough said. I know it's over, still I cling, I don't know where I can go . . ." This verse is an especially chilling choice because not even two years later Buckley was actually buried and "the soil [fell] over [his] head." I cried the first time I heard this medley. The poignancy of it is amazing. It is as if Jeff could foresee his own fate. Beside the words used and their meaning, the pace of the medley adds to the piece even more. Buckley sings it in a slow lilt, adding intensity every second. His dynamics - loud at one moment, whispering the next - increase the drama. The listener cannot hear this song and not feel moved.

The loss of Jeff Buckley is one of the saddest of our generation. Although this live collection is breathtakingly beautiful, listening to it is always bittersweet as the listener imagines what could have been if Buckley's life had not been cut so tragically soon.

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