Buckley's Exotic, Tasty Brew

New York Daily News: December 19, 1994

By Jim Farber, Daily News Staff Writer

  ROCK 'N' ROLL HAS never been big on improvisational singing. When it comes to free-form soloing, the guitar largely commands center stage.

  Not so in the music of Jeff Buckley. At his Irving Plaza show Saturday, Buckley let his voice roam over notes, and dance up scales, with the exploration of a jazz singer.

  During elaborate passages, Buckley brought his three-piece band to a halt while he ventured down a cappella alleys, gracefully taking the listener further and further out there.

  You couldn't blame some listeners for not wanting to follow. Live, as on record, Buckley proved to be an aquired taste. He's the musical equivalent of anchovies-either you crave them or run from their very mention.

  In Buckley's case, his music contains several ingredients that can trip listeners up: wild tempo changes, unusual keys, and his intensely dramatic vibrato. When Buckley sings, his voice shivers with emotion, fluttering into a falsetto you can find either overwrought or enchanting.

  Live, Buckley pushed his instrument to its limit. Many songs from his debut LP, "Grace," stretched on for 8-10 minutes; his encore lasted 15. Still, in both haunting songs like "Lilac Wine," and raging ones like "Eternal Life," Buckley gave his improvisations momentum.

  It worked best in "Mojo Pin." Here Buckley's vocal flourishes alluded to a remarkable range of singers-from Billie Holiday to the late avant-garde vocalist Klaus Nomi. True, at his most affected Buckley could sound like Tiny Tim, but more often he came closer to Robert Plant, while retaining his own style.

  Like Plant, Buckley's music draws heavily on folk-rock and Arabic influences. But his most striking live piece anchored itself on the blues. In "Lover, You Should Have Come Over," the performer showed his greatest talents, to combine operatic vocals with firm songwriting hooks. The result may not be the easiest thing to get into. But once you do, you may have trouble getting back out.