Nearly 20 years after Jeff Buckley's death, a new album emerges with 10 previously unreleased tracks recorded early in the late singer's career.

The album, You and I, features covers of Bob Dylan's "Just Like A Woman," The Smiths' "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" and "I Know It's Over," Sly & The Family Stone's "Everyday People," Led Zeppelin's "Night Flight" and a few traditional folk songs as well as demo versions of "Grace" and "Dream of You And I."

The album isn't due out until March 11 via Columbia/Legacy Recordings, but NPR Music's First Listen premiered a stream of the full LP two weeks ahead of its release. Give it a listen below.

The 10 tracks on You and I were recorded over three days in February 1993 at Shelter Island Studios in New York, when Buckley, recently signed to Columbia Records, was sketching out what would eventually become his only studio album, 1994's Grace.

The collection showcases the then-26-year-old singer-songwriter at the beginning of his short career, while he was cultivating the now-celebrated nuances of his multi-octave voice. While the covers reflect his early influences, the two originals illuminate his process, as the lyrics and composition of both demos are significantly different from the final versions.

Recent years have seen more than a dozen Buckley releases and otherwise circulated bootlegs. In contrast, the tracks on You And I remarkably remained locked in the vaults for over 20 years.

The collection was released with permission from Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert. It's part of Legacy Recordings' mission to broaden Buckley's audience, so that he's known for more than just his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Legacy President Adam Block explained: "There's no question that there are now two generations of music fans for whom Jeff Buckley may only be a footnote," Billboard reports.

See More Jeff Buckley
Join the Discussion