After its release in 1994 (and certainly years later, after the death of its writer and original performer), “Grace” by Jeff Buckley became one of the most beloved songs of all time. It’s a delicate, soulful, emotional song with expert songwriting and memorable melodic hooks. As such, it’s been covered a multitude of times by artists of all stripes; it takes a special performance to stand out from the crowd. On her rendition of the ’90s classic, Ché Aimee Dorval does just that. We’re excited to exclusively present her cover of “Grace” today before its widespread release tomorrow.

Dorval adds a soulful touch to this unforgettable song with her powerful vocal delivery, each word of the haunting lyrics perfectly emphasized by the talented singer-songwriter. The instrumentals are pretty true to the original, with subtle effects giving the song a shimmering quality. What makes the performance all the more impressive is revealed at the end of the song, when applause greets the singer – despite sounding like a perfectly-produced studio take on the song, it’s in fact a live cover.

“Jeff Buckley is one of my musical heroes,” said Dorval. “His songwriting and his vocal style have definitely had a huge impact on my writing style, and “Grace” has always been one of my favourite songs from him. I tend to write more melancholic, downtempo things so rarely do I get a chance to really use my voice with such intensity and power, so covering this live felt amazing.”

Dorval has teased that she’s working on new material with guitarist and progressive rock legend Devin Townsend as Casualties of Cool. That project yielded one of the best albums in recent memory, their self-titled debut that topped our Best Albums of 2016 list. She also released a new album in 2017, Between the Walls and The Window, from which she released a video for “Afraid.” She also released a cover of The Mars Volta’s song “The Widow” last year.