This Is Where It Starts

Virginian born and bred, Berlin-based, but with some Irish musical connections, Eckhart describes himself as a late blooming singer/songwriter – though at only 41 he’s hardly in the autumn of his years!
Recorded in an old building that once housed an East German radio station in collaboration with Dave Hingerty (Frames etc) on drums, there is a strong live, almost warehouse-ey feel to this collection, which runs the gamut from all out rockers to more intimate acoustic fare.
Therein lies the problem with categorising Eckhart, as he can be hard to pin down stylistically. One minute he’s delving deep into the delta blues, as on ‘I’m Gone’, while the next minute he’s into post-modern indie grooves – ‘Better Way’ being just one example. The first track here, ‘From Whence I Came’, a mellow, slowly building ballad is a strong opening salvo while in contrast, the jangly, melodic ‘Happy’ showcases a penchant for indie guitar pop – Teenage Fanclub meets the The La’s with a touch of Pernice Brothers’ Americana thrown in. ‘Open Up’ boasts Rolling Stones-meets-Wilco guitar textures and an irresistibly keening chorus that would make this an ideal radio single.
Despite his American roots there’s a quaint, almost pastoral Englishness about his voice on some tracks, especially the 1970s Brit-folk influenced ‘Big Lie’ that recalls the likes of Colin Bluntstone and Clifford T. Ward or even Nick Drake.
A hugely enjoyable but slightly schizophrenic album, Eckhart’s strongest point undoubtedly lies in melodic mid-tempo ballads like the poignant closer, ‘I Saw A Light’.