reviews > 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").
