The ShortListen: Jeff Buckley (no. 199)

Who? Jeff Buckley

What’s the story? Normally, we're wisely dubious about posthumous albums. Material that wasn't good enough to go out in the first place, and that faint whiff of trying to maximise the cash. But this feels a little different. We were only blessed with one full album from the brilliant Jeff Buckley, before his untimely death at the age of 30 in 1997; albeit we had the unfinished, but brilliant Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk and the blistering live album Mystery White Boy. So anything we can get our hands on is worth having; thus, the unexpected news of a new album, to be released in March next year, is welcome. It's called You and I and is an album comprised of Buckley's first studio sessions for Columbia Records, mostly recorded in 1993 and long thought lost, featuring nine covers and two originals - one of which is Grace, and the other the previously unheard You and I. The project has been overseen by Buckley's mother Mary Guibert, with the recordings seemingly found in the Sony Music archives during research for the 20th anniversary edition of Grace back in 2014. As a teaser, they've unveiled this cover of Sly and The Family Stone's Everyday People - it's a joy to hear Buckley's soaring vocals once again over a funky, solo guitar backing and it whets the appetite nicely. Normally, we wouldn't get too excited about an album of covers, but when you're talking about an artist who did probably the best cover version of all time, then we'll make an exception.

For fans of: Well, Jeff Buckley

In three words: Long lost recordings