Ive heard many times that its better to burn out than to fade away. That is all well and good, but what of those who never had the chance to do either?Countless musicians have been taken from us too early in their lives, but one who sticks out for me in is Jeff Buckley. Many people are familiar with Buckleys cover of Leonard Cohens song Hallelujah. While his take on the song is a perfect example of Buckleys unique artistic insight and somewhat unconventional musicality, it is only the tip of the iceberg.Buckleys first album, Grace, released in 1994, was met with initial praise from both critics and fans alike. It was a testament to his ability to create unparalleled music that displayed his talents as a singer, songwriter and musician.The opening track alone is an example of his incredible talent. Mojo Pin features swirling guitar chords that accompany a soft but suitable riff. Distortion kicks in on the tracks final chorus, and the last minute of the song is nothing but a climactic wall of sound and raw lyrical emotion.The rest of the album does not disappoint; its highlights including the title track Grace, a rendition of Corpus Christi Carol that shows off Buckleys incredible falsetto, and the albums closer, a trance-inducing song called Dream Brother.What makes his story so tragic is that Grace was the only album Jeff Buckley ever officially released. Already seemingly eons ahead of his time, he was never able to fully prove to the music world that he was only getting started when he met his untimely death by accidental drowning in 1997.Posthumously released in 1998, Sketches for my Sweetheart the Drunk features 20 songs that Buckley had been working on at the time of his death. If Grace was a step in a new and engaging musical direction, then the material on Sketches was a leap even further ahead.Lyrically, the songs are some of his best work. The Sky is a Landfill is a strongly worded social commentary that boasts scathing lines like This way of life is so devised to snuff out the mind that moves, and Our mutilation is to gain from the system.Musically, Murder Suicide Meteor Slave, although clearly an unfinished product, is one of the most challenging tracks.The heavy dissonance and clamoring of the opening riff makes the song a little difficult to listen to at first. The chorus, however, is a rapturous resolve over which Buckley cries, welcome down to paradise rock.I can definitely say that it is unlike anything I have ever heard before, and I mean that in the best possible way. Its easy to suppose what might have been when it comes to artists who left us early in their lives.There is no doubt in my mind, however, that Jeff Buckley was on the verge of transcending the songwriting frontier and showing the world just how far he could take us into his own brilliantly constructed universe of music and sound.