Sefronia

There are some good songs here: Dolphins, Martha, Because Of You, Quicksand and the two parts of the title track, Sefronia. The song Sefronia is in my opinion the greatest of his work POST - Starsailor. It is beautifully arranged, with subtle hints of African instrumentation backing Tim's GORGEOUS vocal; all this is encapsulated by a string-arrangement that rather than detract from the core song, interwines with it; Superb! In short Sefronia could well be a way to fall in love with Tim Buckley especially if the listener appreciates that Tim was battling against a record company who wished him to bring his music into the MOR and drape it in, what is now, a dated 70s production.
For the seasoned Tim fan I won't lie to you, many of the songs on Sefronia receive a better outing on other T Buckley albums. There are a few excellent versions of Dolphins performed by Tim Buckley availible: the one on 'Dream Letter '68' is the one I fell in love with first and is stripped to it's core melody and wonderful rhythmic drive. The version that appears on 'Honeyman (live in New York)' is similar to the version on Sefronia yet without the production flourishes, backing vocals or overdubs; it retains a stark electrified beauty, simultaneously funk and folky! Dolphins on 'Once I Was' was recorded by the BBC when Tim came to England to promote 'Sefronia' and shares a similar feel to it's studio version although Tim drops his voice into a luxuriously deep, yearning lower register which really does capture the essence of Fred Neil's original. It might seem as though I have gone off on a tangent somewhat but I belive my above comments cast a light on a few of the problems that stop 'Sefronia' being a great album rather than just a good one.
More stripped down (and FOR ME more beautiful) versions of Because Of You and Sefronia do exist on 'The Dream Belongs To Me'. It should be noted however that the best way to appreciate Tim is to listen to his studio albums in sequence (if you use your initiative you will be able to listen to 'Blue Afternoon' and 'Starsailor' which are two INCREDIBLE albums.) Then listen to the live albums in sequence (all are EXCEPTIONAL and availible on amazon!) and finally get his albums 'Once I Was' and 'The Dream Belongs To Me' to see the greatest popular music male vocalist/artist of them all.


Pass This To Me!   August 20, 2001
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This is a great album from Tim Buckleys later career. I don't know how else to say it. The best tracks are, Dolphins, Honey Man, Peanut Man, Martha, Quicksand, I Know I'd Recognize Your Face, Stone In Love, and Sally Go Round the Roses. Another note about Peanut Man. It's probably the best song on this great record. It's beat is very infectious. Martha is beautiful. If you're used to Tims earlier stuff I recommend that you try this album but beware you may be shocked at first. Bottom line, buy this album, and have fun enjoying it.


Under-Rated Gem   August 5, 2001
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I have never understood why critics are hard on this album. Tim was destroyed by the reception given his masterworks (Starsailor & Blue Afternoon, which continue to be maddenly out-of-print), so then offered us his version of popular music in "Greetings From L.A." and "Sefronia." Every cut here is impassioned with Tim's never-to-be-matched-again voice. Every selection deserved Tim's interpretation. Would anyone want LESS music from this man? "Dolphins" is here. A beautiful reading of Tom Waits's "Martha." The funky dance of "Honeyman" is here. The only duet Tim recorded ("I Know I'd Recognize Your Face"). Truly, the only reason to give this CD less than 5 stars is to compare it to Starsailor & Blue Afternoon - but the music of an artist like Tim Buckley transcends any ratings system. Buy this CD and ready yourself to be amazed by what a voice can do.