reviews
TIFFANY ECKHARDT - 'Horse' (Independent / Black Market Music)
Written by Sam Fell
I'm a sucker for female vocalists. Well you're a big sucker, you're saying, because female vocalists, as well as male ones, are a dime a dozen and what's so special eh? I agree with that, singer songwriters are every where, and for the most part, they're OK but largely staid and they all sound the same, but every now and again, you get someone who has a voice that makes you stop and listen. Really listen.
From my point of view, to really get noticed in this day and age as a vocalist, you've got to have something special, perhaps something unusual in your style, all whilst being able to actually sing and put music together, for example, Kasey Chambers and Mia Dyson.
To this list, I can safely add Tiffany Eckhardt, who over the past few years has been crooning in her Valium-esque, almost childlike folky voice, culminating in Horse , her fifth album, and one which tears at the heartstrings, taking you on little emotional journeys and losing you in it's swirling, mandolin driven melodies.
The title track, 'Slowdown', 'Fairy Child' and 'Throw A Coin', which make up the first four tracks on the album, are each in themselves, between three and five minutes of a parallel universe; anyone who can invoke so much melancholy and yet still convey such tearful happiness, is doing something right. Eckhardt's voice is like Jesus, the mandolin, acoustic guitar and double bass, the disciples; leaping and cavorting in her wake, all tied neatly together with brown, furry string.
Dave Steel, who isn't left handed as the reversed-neg pic on the inside cover would suggest, takes care of the haunting guitar and soaring mandolin, his quiet backing vocal merely a handrail for Eckhardt's low, gravely wisp and her high, piquing, silver lined wail when she lets go.
My only criticism of Horse is that towards the end, some of the songs lose a little impact in comparison to the first half of the album. Not to say any thing is bad, but tracks like 'Slowdown' and 'Throw A Coin' are masterful, whereas 'Summer Grass' lost me a little. Having said that however, you then get to ‘Volvo Driver' in it's tongue-in-cheek confessional vein and to finish, 'Sea Around The Shore', which is the ballad style piece that sets you down and tucks you in to dream of everything you've just experienced through listening to what has come before.
Horse is Australian folk music at it's best. I'd never heard Eckhardt before, so this is like an awakening, an ideal introduction to someone who I'm having trouble believing isn't a bigger name within, at least, the Australian scene. In this case however, it's Eckhardt's seeming lack of interest in anything but this music and the way she portrays both her self and these songs, that makes this a real folk album.
There is not an ounce of pretension prevalent on Horse, just twelve songs, an extraordinarily free and amazingly gorgeous voice, some fine playing, the humility emanates, or maybe it doesn't, and who cares, this is magic.
TIFFANY ECKHARDT - 'Horse' (Independent)
Written by Peter Dawson
Tiffany Eckhardt should be giving Kasey Chambers a run for her money with her country flavoured songs. Many are familiar to ABC listeners – 'Toyota Corolla', 'Me and My Dog', 'I Love You So' and 'Down to the Sea'.
However the seven albums she has produced are not as well known as they should be. The latest release is 'Horse', produced and recorded by husband and musical collaborator Dave Steel, who also contributes guitars, mandolin, harmonica, percussion and backing vocals.
Based near Winchelsea, Eckhardt's songs are filled with the pleasures of simple farm life. "I've chosen my lifestyle, and that's determined my opportunities to some extent," she says. "I've had a couple of people interested in furthering my career, but they wanted me to move to the city and I just couldn't do it. I've always been a bit of a nature girl. One day I'd love someone to make one of my songs a hit so I can buy a new car."
Cars are often a theme of her songs as with 'Volvo Driver', a rollin' little ditty. Title track 'Horse' is a love song to Eckhardt's favourite means of escape from the difficulties in life: "I go out crazy and I come home sane".
Magnificent mandolin from Steel and a happy plodding bassline from Sandy Brady. With her sensitive lead vocals and rhythm guitar Eckhardt follows with 'Slow Down'. Steel echoes the feeling with tight guitar runs.
'Fairy Child' is about the couple's daughter Ailish. Eckhardt recounts, "I suppose having a baby makes life incredibly chaotic and complicated and joyful and painful ... It simplifies everything, gives you a new perspective about what's important."
Family is obviously of prime importance to her as in 'Throw A Coin' she asks the question, "Am I a good mother? Am I a good wife?" In 'It's Alright' Eckhardt commiserates with the lonely – those without the people who obviously make her life worth living.
'Always Stays The Same' could be about her husband, who accompanies her on a moody slide guitar. She relates, "First time I met Dave I remember this dark, brooding stranger in the corner I hadn't seen before. Someone said, 'he's really big'. I was very impressed. After the gig he said, 'If you need a hand with your music, let's get together'. The sparks were flying!" But it was a long time after that that we started playing music together."
The sombre mood continues with 'Summer Grass' which has exquisite imagery, as with 'Sea Around The Shore'. 'Only Man', 'Walk That Road' and 'Christmas Song' complete a well crafted piece of work.
Eckhardt was a big hit at the Apollo Bay Festival last April, with both her gigs being packed out!
The Canberra Times - Monday 15th December
By Graham McDonald
Tiffany Eckhardt is one of a number of singer-songwriters whose style sits somewhere between mainstream country and folk. Her songs are written about personal experience about her life in a semi- rural area with a musician partner and a baby.
What sets her above the pack is an ear for melody and a good hook combined with a simplicity and directness in her lyrics.
Apart from good solid songwriting the songs themselves are set in supportive arrangements of acoustic instruments. No drum kit (except for a couple of songs), but a mix of bass and other strings, many played by Dave Steel who has a great feel for adding another harmonic layer without overwhelming the song.
The way the songs have been put together feels natural without being forced, in the way good acoustic music should be, but so often is not.
Eckhardt doesn't have a big voice but distinctly Australian without being overtly so and with an overlay of American old-time country in her phrasing and delivery.
This suits the material and the way it is arranged and presented. It has been recorded so her voice sits comfortably just in front of the instrumentation, neither buried in the backing or overwhelming.
A very pretty recording by one of our better singer-songwriters and one that deserves more public exposure than I fear it will get.
Folk Alliance Australia - October 2003
Trad & Now Magazine summer 2004
Written by Dieter Bajzek
I still remember reviewing her last CD ('Leap Of Faith' June 2002) and the joy it brought me listening to it. And again I feel a certain warmth and satisfying pleasure creeping into my heart as I listen to this new album, and I ask myself, why do I feel emotionally uplifted?. It is obviously a number of factors giving me that "warm fuzzy feeling".
One; The musical arrangements and instrumental playing are just great, the suptle translucent textures of the variety of acoustic stringed instruments provide such supportive and never overwhelming support, and the near absence of drums is a bonus- they would be destructive and out of place here. Congratulations to Dave Steel, Sandy Brady, John Bedggood, Mark Wardle and others.
Two; The unique vocal timbrel qualities (of Tiffany) feel like the voice is floating gently along almost breaking up sometimes, but still very expressive - it's just the dynamics are still there, they are just at a different level, rewarding when you are really listening.
Three; The recording and matering is crisp and of good quality.
Four; the songwriting and interpretation has a refreshingly positive, deceivingly simple, and soulfully loving message to it.
It appears that motherhood, a loving relationship and relatively peaceful life outside the stressful big city has enhanced Tiffany's songwriting greatly, especially leaning towards one major and worthwhile message:
"... love is the treasure ...
... love is the saviour ...
... love is the healer, more precious than silver & gold ..."
I could not agree more! And a beautiful and strongly haunting song like 'Wounded Heart' just proves the rule of the exception, and the idea that one cannot truly appreciate happiness if one has never experienced deep sadness.
NEW RELEASE BY TIFFANY ECKHARDT: "BAREFOOT"
Trad & Now Magazine summer 2004
Written my Jim MacQuarrie
Some of the most intricate and beautiful songs about love that I've heard for quite some time. A truthful insight into musicians and their lives.
Lyrics that jerk more than just the heart strings; try including memories and expectation. The instrumentals are very much a part of each song but quietly leave room for the lyrics to do the job they're supposed to do.
A superb result and with folk like Dave Steel, Sandy Brady, John Bedggod, Mark Wardle, Wayne Trait and Rose Bygrave - what a line up, no wonder it's an absolute gem!!
Geelong Advertiser Nov 2003
Written by David Connelly
For a period last spring and summer, local singer songwriter Tiffany Eckhardt had apples and zucchinis "coming out of her ears". She laughs at the thought of the mountain of vegetables that lined the back door when she'd get home or head off to the vege patch.
"We had Dave's (Steel) folks and others dropping boxes of apples off and we were growing our own huge zucchinis. A friend gave me a recipe for chocolate cake made with zucchinis. I made that all that summer when people came."
Typical of the domesticity that has dominated Eckhardt's life since becoming a mother, she naturally wrote a song about the zucchini cakes.
The song closes Tiffany Eckhardt's fourth and most accomplished recording effort, Barefoot (Blackmarket Music) that is set to be launched at The Rose in Torquay on Sunday November 23 before playing the Queenscliff Festival the following weekend.
For the past couple of years, Tiffany Eckhardt's world has revolved around home, the 'beautiful world' of motherhood and geographically 'finding her place' facing the bitter south west winds that sweep across the western plains. It's been as much about as preserving fruit as finding peace.
Barefoot touches some of those simple earthy themes as she laid out the lyrical and sonic bones of latest album. Midway through this year, Eckhardt went into Geelong's Lockup studios with sound ace Brian Cavagnino again at the helm to flesh out the album. While Eckhardt's pregnancy embraced her last album Leap Of Faith, Barefoot meanders through life's simple pleasures that rekindles an almost Melanie Safka -like innocence and appeal.
Some of it reaches back into early memories and her own childhood as she sails into the line "I was born in old Yallourn" from South West Winds.
"That's a line I've had my head for years, that I wanted to put into a song," she said from her Winchelsea home.
After years touring and living a semi nomadic lifestyle, Eckhardt believes she has found her place in the world. Her settled environment and maternal fulfilment blossoms in song. The latest album is a collection of songs she has written over the past 2 years. Revolving around friendship, moonlight and motherhood (her dogs also get a mention) her new recording captures a domestic harmony that nestles in a captivating country folk vibe.
Whether it is a love ode to her daughter Alish on Love You So, the anguish of Wounded Love or unrequiting South West Winds that blow across the paddocks, Tiffany Eckhardt couldn't be happier. It is best typified in 40 Miles.
"That is a song written about heading off to Apollo Bay. I was just hanging out to go there. I wanted to go camping and go fishing."
She maintained a close knit musical family on Barefoot including Tiffany on rhythm guitars and lead vocals, Dave Steel on guitars, dobro, mandolin, harmonica and backing vocals, Sandy Brady on double bass and backing vocals and John Bedggood on piano, violin, accordion and backing vocals. Guest musicians included Wayne Trait (drums on "Love You So") and Rose Bygrave (Backing vocals on "Beautiful World").
