“This gentle, melodic album stands as a work of real substance and a treat for all who enjoy superbly crafted songs written from the perspective of an artist who has learnt from life lessons along his path. ”
“This singer-songwriter has a voice that can make you cry. My father used to tell me if a singer can do that they’re a great singer. The lead-off “Masterpiece” is just that. A masterpiece. It’s well-written & excellently sung with all the intonation, poignant phrasing, and tone to put Neale in a John Prine frame if not an early Tom Waits one (“Martha”). Eckstein doesn’t have a gruff voice. He’s not Jackson Browne. He has a lived-in experienced voice. The words he chooses — perfectly suited to the people, places & things he sings about.”
“MASTERPIECE starts off this album with a laid back tone as the guitar strums quietly as his vocals reminds you a bit of Leonard Cohen with a whisper. The melody and lyrics will really hit home with you. A true masterpiece.”
“It might be the case that it took him time to mature as a songwriter, or maybe that he needed it to gather the courage to go fully on his own, but there is a sense of a fully-formed songwriter who knows how to express his thoughts and emotions through the 14 songs here. Eckstein seems to have poured all that production experience into his songwriting, as he took cues from a broad range of Americana-connected artists and moulded them into something individual and personal with songs like ‘Gonna Get It Right’ and ‘Masterpiece’ presenting us with a debut from a fully formed artist who knows his way. The assured but subtle backing he gets (his bandmates from Fox Run Five) adds all the right touches here, rounding up a very good debut effort, with or without Eckstein’s grey hairs. ”