Greetings from L.A.

After the dangerous and daring folk/avant-jazz stylings of his previous works, Lorca and Starsailor, Tim Buckley turned to funk and hard rock for Greetings from L.A. taking it upon himself to interpret the rock hero posturing of Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison and Robert Plant and turn it into something else altogether. From the opening confrontation of “Move With Me,” it’s clear that Buckley is up to the task. His vocal gyrations are more fluid than his role models and only a definite backing band prevent this album from becoming a true hard rock tour de force. As it stands, it’s still plenty great. Buckley, in all likelihood, was incapable of turning in anything purely monolithic. He was a man of nuance and his performances always work on multiple levels. “Get On Top” might be the meanest groove he dared contemplate, but it’s hardly all sexual bravado. The tense gait of “Sweet Surrender” adds a sultry mystery. “Nighthawkin’” is the sound of Buckley and a troupe of backup singers turning the bar upside down. It’s a dominant performance throughout.