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Originally Posted by kunalraiker  what genre are both.
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They're both alternative rock but extremely different in sound.....
Jeff Buckley is possibly one of the greatest vocalists in the history of rock. He's often compared to his father who was also a great singer, but he has a tad of Zeppelin in his approach. The magic of Grace lies as much in the vocal performance as it does the compositions themselves. 3 of the songs are covers, brilliant covers. 2 of the songs have music entirely written by Buckley's music partner Gary Lucas. The album itself is a tour de force of Buckley's dynamic range both interpretatively and vocally.
XO is a whole different animal. I will say flat out that Elliott is not the virtuoso vocalist that Buckley is, but that does not matter because Elliott's sound is so different. I would compare Elliott to The Beatles (specifically George's best writing) mixed in with Brian Wilson's sense of harmony and melodic invention, but also add the depressed sensitivities of the late Nick Drake to the table and you definitely have something close to Elliott Smith. Elliott plays all the instruments on this album (save for a drum loop, a cello part and a saxophone on track) and provides all the vocals and writes all the compositions. While Buckley's genius is very much in his ability to bring a depth to a song which no one else can, Elliott's genius is to write the song's depth in the blue print of the song.
Sadly both geniuses left us too soon, dying 6 years apart, Buckley of an accidental drowning, and Smith by a possible suicide (it is debated whether or not the 2 fatal stab wounds in his chest were in fact self-inflicted, however Elliott had a long history of suicidal tendencies and it is generally accepted that he did in fact kill himself.)
It's unfair of me to phrase it like this because both artists are so unique and so unto their own world, but I view Grace as an extension of Led Zeppelin, while XO an extension of The Beatles......
Please take a listen to both if you like Rock music.
-Dave
