Tiffany Eckhardt – Horse

The album “Horse” by Tiffany Eckhardt.

Tiffany Eckhardt – Horse
Review by Ian Dearden

Let me commence this review with a confession – although I recognised the name, I could not recall having ever heard Tiffany’s music, either live or on CD.
Somehow or another, she had flown just below my personal radar.
What an omission that was!
Let’s start with the voice.
She has a little girl voice, from the stable that includes Dolly Parton, Julie Miller and Kacey Chambers, but tinged with a grown woman’s world-weariness (and an occasional tongue-in-cheekness).
It is incredibly appealing, not just to me (I’m wrapt) but also others to whom I’ve played the album sight unseen, who have fallen immediately under Tiffany’s spell.
So to the music.
This is a totally acoustic album, co-produced, engineered and substantially performed (guitars, mandolin, harmonica, percussion) by the legendary Dave Steel, who also contributes backing vocals.
The production is just exquisite and extraordinarily sympathetic.
Superb arrangements wrap around and highlight Tiffany’s delicious vocals, with absolutely nothing overplayed or out of place.
And that leaves the songs.
Twelve of them, all written in 2005 by Tiffany, ranging from a love song to her daughter (“Fairy Song”), the delicious humour of “Volvo Driver”, and a touching insight into the foibles of human beings who are strong on the outside but crumbling inside (“It’s Alright”).
The album concludes with the uplifting “Sea Around The Shore”, a hymn to the redemptive power of love and friendship.
What more can I say.
Buy it wherever you can find it (try www.tiffanyeckhardt.com), catch Tiffany’s live shows whenever you can, and let’s hope that this superb singer, songwriter and performer receives the recognition she richly deserves.