I have been robbed - something precious has been stolen from me, the music of Jeff Buckley, the virtuoso, singer/songwriter son of the late folk singer Tim Buckley.

Jeff Buckley, born November 17, 1966, was on the verge of mass popularity, when he died tragically at the tender age of 30 on June 4, 1997. An odd parallel to this tragedy is that his father died at age 28 of a heroin overdose, a painful loss for two generations of music lovers.

Jeff's music is difficult to describe - it is elegant and majestic while simultaneously soulful and full of passion. One senses that Jeff was a soul not long for this world, like the rare talented musician whose musical inspiration is something that swells forth like a quiet ocean tide, rather than being contrived through painstaking verse-chorus-verse studio tinkering. Jeff was music - he lived and breathed his royal musical ancestry.

Columbia has re-released, remastered and greatly extended the EP, Live at Sin-'e, a live recording of Jeff's early work from '93 performed at the New York club, Sin-'e. The new release includes a DVD interview with the artist, and about twenty song performances, including covers of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Nina Simone.

This is an excellent collection for old fans hungering for more raw material and for new fans just discovering Buckley's talent, a hint of what is was like to see the energetic and engaging Buckley performing in an intimate environment.

Some of the songs that would later be released on his debut Grace can be heard in their infancy on Sin-'e. Although, "Last Goodbye" was the single released by Sony from Buckley's debut album Grace, I have always felt "Lover You Should've Come Over" showcased Buckley's songwriting and musical talent most truly.

Buckley's tale of young love is written from the perspective of a man in the midst of searing reflection, perhaps on the verge of losing the best thing he's ever had:

Looking out the door I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners Parading in a wake of sad relations as their shoes fill up with water And maybe I'm too young to keep good love from going wrong But tonight you're on my mind so you never know

....Will I ever see your sweet return
Oh will I ever learn
Oh lover, you should've come over
Cause it's not too late

....It's never over, all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her
It's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter
It's never over, she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever

....Well maybe I'm just too young
To keep good love from going wrong

....Oh... lover, you should've come over
'Cause it's not too late

Done acoustically and emotionally on Sin-'e, I actually find the arrangement on Grace more fitting of the song's tone. There, it begins with an instrument called a harmonium (a small organ), which ties in well with the "funeral procession" allusions he makes, and it gives a sense of dying emotion - a love that's fading away. For anyone who's had love slip away from them, this song can be truly heart-wrenching.