FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
 |
| CD REVIEW JEFF BUCKLEY · Released almost exactly one year after his death, release consists mostly of studio demos of songs for his second album, My Sweetheart the Drunk. · Produced by Tom Verlaine, the tapes have been left almost completely untouched. Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk is a two-disc collection of studio demos and rough mixes Jeff Buckley had prepared before his death which were to be on his second album. The sessions were produced by Tom Verlaine and, at the insistence of his mother, the songs are presented here untouched except for a mix-down by Andy Wallace. Listening to the 20 tracks is a haunting experience, and you constantly have to remind yourself that these tapes were never intended to reach the public ear. Furthermore, you also have to keep in mind that as much as half of this material would have been discarded for the final album. So what are we left with? Sketches captures Buckley at his rawest. The songs aren't always complete, the instrumentation is often skeletal, but the germs of his ideas are all there waiting to blossom. While some songs are awful to endure, others are sensational. This is simply a glimpse into the creative process of someone who had the promise of being a superstar. Had the record ever been completed, it would have been phenomenal. 4/5 |
| |