Missed Masterpieces: Leonard Cohen meets Jeff Buckley

I know how subjective this all can be, but anyone who doesn’t think this is a great song, I’ll quickly but politely dismiss.

Leonard Cohen, the songwriter, was born in Montreal in 1934. Despite his reputation as a world-class womanizer, I doubt he has ever done anything that wasn’t on purpose. Cohen has made a lot of great music that will twist your brain into places it’s never been. His music is usually called "folk," but you’ll more typically find him in the "rock & roll" section.

I recommend his Best Of and More Best Of. Stay away from Greatest Hits and Essential, as they only offer a skeleton of the body of his work.

The problem with Leonard Cohen is he didn’t have the vocal chops to make “Hallelujah” the song that it is.

Jeff Buckley, on the other hand, had the vocal chops. He was born in 1966, and died in 1997 in Memphis, rumored to have been drunk and stoned off his ass when he drowned in the Mississippi River.

Buckley, son of folk singer Tim Buckley, only made a couple of albums before he left this life. But one of them, Grace, is an absolute masterpiece that also includes his take on “Hallelujah.”

I think it’s the best cover ever made.