reviews > 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.