#6: Jeff Buckley - Grace

Release Year: 1994

Jeff Buckley's father, Tim, was a successful folk musician who lived a reckless life, characterized by frequent substance abuse, which ended at a relatively young age.  Jeff Buckley was a successful rock musician who lived quite the opposite lifestyle, without any substance abuse issues...and he did at a relatively young age.

I sometimes wonder if Grace would have quite the impact it has now, had Jeff gone on to record more music.  But that is purely academic; the fact of the matter is, this album is spectacular.  His style is unique, and his voice is strong and passionate.

Buckley's rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is nothing short of moving.  If you include a cover song on your studio album, you better make sure you contribute something, and Jeff answered that in spades.

We'll never know what Jeff Buckley would have recorded had he not drowned, but with just this one album, he made an indelible entry into music history.

Standout tracks:

• Hallelujah
• Eternal Life
• Grace

#22: Dream Theater - Awake

Release Year: 1994

A lot of people accuse Dream Theater of being pretentious.  That they are nothing more than a bunch of showoffs trying to fit as many notes into each measure as possible.  They are certainly guilty of that at times (especially after the departure of Kevin Moore), but I cannot deny that Awake is a solid album, and Dream Theater's musical pinnacle.

This album flows just right, from the first song to the last.  There is certainly musical virtuosity here, but none of it seems out of place.  The long songs don't seem unnecessarily long, nor do they lack direction.  The musicians are technical, but here they can actually be described as "progressive."

This album has strong dynamics, interesting rhythms, and memorable memories.  After Awake, Kevin Moore would leave the band, and they never quite had the same creative spark.

Standout tracks:

• Scarred
• Voices
• Space-Dye Vest
• 6:00 

#26: The Black Crowes - Amorica

Release Year: 1994

The Black Crowes' first two albums, Shake Your Money Maker and The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, were both solid southern rock albums.  The demonstrated that they could write rock songs and ballads as well as anybody.  But they were somewhat lacking in depth.

With Amorica, that changed.  They started experimenting a little bit, and some folk influence started creeping in.  And we got a collection of songs that fit together better than either of their previous albums.  This is where the Crowes went from being just another guitar rock band to being real artists with a truly interesting contribution.

Lest you think they ceded their ability to write solid rock songs, their riffs are as good as they ever were.  But there are more dynamics, and the softer parts are more textured, and feature more acoustic instrumentation.

Every time I hear this album, it throws me into another Black Crowes kick.  This is the best early Crowes album, and one of my favorites of the 1990s.

Standout tracks:

• Wiser Time
• Descending
• Nonfiction
• A Conspiracy