Matt Novak Ten Valley CD 2004 Wander Records Leave Me Love Hobo

Ten Valley by Matt Novak Review Like a cup of warm tea with a shot of brandy in it by the fire, it doesn’t get much better than this. Well mixed, well recorded, nice balanced frequency response, technically near perfect. I am left nearly speechless by the quality of the tunes and the music. Matt successfully mined the mother lode of the American myth, brought it back, and managed to diffuse it with the soul of the Pacific Northwest, though it could’ve come from Nashville or North Carolina. Well enough tripping over myself, I love it. I was instantly drawn in. –R. Meme, MemeRadioOutstanding debut album from Matt Novak! With a sound and subject matter slotting in somewhere between John Prine and Louden Wainwright III, Novak should find appreciative fans everywhere. Novak’s edge is in his spare arrangements – he’s singing honestly and openly over just a few restrained instruments. No howling, no mewling, no affected weariness, just the startlingly clear observations of a man who knows love, friendship, labor, the road, and the weird way our plentiful times can leave folks hungering for something else. –Victory ReviewMan, this is good stuff! Haunting and melancholy without being saccharin… very tasteful. I’m impressed. There are some excellent singles here, and the album as a whole is pure joy to listen to. –D. Woods