| The late Tim
Buckley was an amazingly gifted artist. Possessed of a truly
incredible singing voice that could croon, soar and shriek -- he had a
four-octave range ! -- Buckley was a true original. (One music
critic, in an obituary of the singer, wrote of Tim that he had been the "only competition in a field of one".) Buckley was also a very prolific artist, recording nine albums during his all-too-brief life. Displaying the spirit of a true maverick, he explored a wide range of styles and genres, morphing from folk-rocker to psychedelic singer/songwriter to mellow jazz/blues stylist to wailing avant-garde art-rocker. This eclecticism, and his radical shifts in musical style, produced a body of superb and sometimes startling work; which, while great for those of us who enjoyed Buckley's creativity, drove his record companies crazy and (somewhat predictably) often confused and alienated his fans. Be that as it may, Tim Buckley's music sounds every bit as fresh as powerful now as when it was recorded, and his spectacular vocal skills and artistry have rarely (if ever) been equaled since his tragic death in 1975. Simply put, Tim Buckley was a truly unique talent. |