Tiffany Eckhardt & Dave Steel – Sunday

Tiffany Eckhardt with Dave Steel – Sunday CD review by Jenny Rich
Tiffany Eckhardt is a prolifi c independent singer songwriter based in an eco sustainable house she and her husband built on a small property near Winchelsea in Victoria. They are kept busy by two young children, but music continues to be vitally important. Tiffany writes and sings about her own life and the things and people she cares about. She does not write background music – to appreciate her songs, you need to listen carefully and refl ect on what she’s singing about. Sometimes she is funny, sometimes she is sad and sometimes she cuts right through to the bone. Anything that happens to her could later become a song. Her songs are very personal, yet in other ways, they are universal in their subject matter. Many of us have had the pleasure of owning a Toyota Corolla but only Tiffany has celebrated it with a humorous Spanish-style song! Many of us have had a dog from the pound that became our special friend. Tiffany wrote “Song for Shak” in memory of her much loved, rescued, wolf hound. Many of us mourn the loss of a close friend. Tiffany wrote “Fill up the sky” and “Let it rain” for her friend who died. Many of us have experienced the excitement and delight of new love. Tiffany wrote “Think about you” about hers. Anyone who has lost a parent to cancer will relate to her song “Beautiful” which she wrote for her father. These are some of the great songs from her earlier CDs. Sunday, Tiffany’s seventh CD, was launched at this year’s National Folk Festival. On it, she is accompanied by her husband Dave Steel, Sandy Brady, Jon Emery and John Bedggood. Dave also worked with Tiffany on the arrangements and production. His musical expertise shines through and they are a wonderful team. Sunday has twelve new songs. “Runaway train” recalls her trials and tribulations when she left home at seventeen, tried to be independent and free and like many other young people, fought problems with alcohol. “Two Mile Bay” is a letter to her close friend who died seven years ago. “The Open Road” is about the joys of driving through the countryside with one’s partner and leaving all the problems at home. “Sunday” celebrates the joys of a quiet Sunday morning at home. “Break of day” is about the ever changing sun, moon, stars and tides and missing the person she loves. “Child of mine” is about why she and Dave chose to home school their young daughter for a while. Then there are songs dealing with bad days and ordinary days (“Feel so low” and “Just another day”) and the pleasure she gets from playing music – “So much music”. There are a lot of really enjoyable songs here but the knock out one for me is number 11 – “You take my breath away” – with its sparse but beautiful accompaniment. My other favourites are “Runaway train”, “Two mile Bay”, “The open road” and “Break of day”. If you want background music or loud music to dance to at a party, this is not the CD for you. However, if you like soft, quiet, gentle and carefully crafted songs with beautiful melodies, singing and arrangements, songs that are interesting and meaningful refl ections on the complexities of life, then Sunday is highly recommended. In my opinion, Tiffany Eckhardt is one of our best contemporary singer songwriters. Don’t just buy this CD – listen to some of her earlier ones too – Looking for signs (1997), Nino’s café (1999), Leap of Faith (2001), Barefoot (2003), Horse (2005) and Perfect Day (2007).