Over the course of his all-too-brief career Tim Buckley forged one of the most compelling and eclectic discographies in American popular music, releasing a series of albums with a stylistic reach that encompassed gentle folk-pop, jazz fusion, earnest protest songs, stream-of-conscious improvisations, near avant-garde flights of vocal experimentation, and all points in between. It comes as something of a surprise then, to find that Buckley’s self-titled debut is a rather restrained affair that only hints at the inspired peaks that Buckley would reach on albums like Lorca and Happy Sad. But the impeccably orchestrated and adventurously produced studio pop of Buckley’s debut might have been the highlight of another artist’s career. Buckley would go on to greater accomplishments, but nonetheless his touchingly awkward debut is a unique slice of Los Angeles-bred folk rock that provides valuable insight into the nature of Buckley’s swiftly developing talent.