4 STARS**** "Matt Novak is a singer/songwriter who is worthy of your attention. He's also a member of Quickdraw String Band, an acoustic outfit, and Ten Valley marks his solo debut. Three years in the making, it's an album of nine Novak originals, and “Hobo”, the words of Robert Service put to Novak's tune. It's a testament to his songwriting skills that the lines of Service, no slouch of a poet, do not stand out in contrast with the rest of the CD. The attention to artistic detail shows throughout this sparsely produced little solitaire, (no wonder it took a year to record), and the effort pays off in spades. There's just the right amount of stringed instruments to embellish, without overpowering, Novak's delivery, and there's some nice pairing with the vocals of Kati Claborn. This one sort of snuck up on me, and it was a very good snuck."

-Don Grant
Freight Train Boogie

"Spare and thoughtful, Ten Valley, will resonate with just about anyone who hears it. Matt Novak's simple rurality is rich with passion and free of pretension - as wholesome and ambitious as the summer breeze. His collection of traditional aesthetics and wistful narration are wonderfully authentic. Songs like "As The Valley Is Long" and "Hobo" yearn with a sense of inarticulate nostalgia and loss, while "Jen Marie Marigold" and "Your Love Is Home" shuffle with nonchalance - I love it!"

-Ryan Hoffer
Shut Eye Records & Agency

"This all-originals debut from Pacific Northwest folkie Matt Novak is a rewarding foray into traditional bluegrass-tinged mountain music and the old-timey melancholia of the songs strikes a genuine chord of truth and experience. A few upbeat songs aside, the instrumentation sounds appropriately sad and ancient; grieving harmonica, mournful plucks on banjo and mandolin, a weeping dobro and Novak’s own heavy-hearted hobo vocals all conspire for an album that may sound a bit sleepy at first but, on further listening, has much to recommend it."

-Robin Cracknell
Americana UK

"Outstanding debut album from Bellinghamster 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."    Read Full Review

-Tom Petersen
Victory 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
89.1FM Mountain Community Radio

"Matt Novak effortlessly blends the tangled roots of American music together to achieve a solid fusion of old and new in his music."

Northwest Folklife

"Matt Novak's debut CD stands out so elegantly among similar offerings in Bellingham's bluegrass scene that it should be smoking a pipe and wearing a top hat. Ten Valley is a clean, gentle, and ultimately relaxed disc..."

-Tony Stasiek
The Bellingham Herald

"Where many singer/songwriters will often bring a post-punk darker sensibility to their take on older stylings, Novak Eschews murder ballads and drinking songs in favor of thoughtful looks at love, travel, and the ups and downs life can take. This approach to the proceedings remains compelling however, both through the spare but sweet-sounding instrumentation and Novak's considerable skills as a songwriter."

-Graham Isaac
The Bellingham Weekly

"'Ten Valley' by Matt Novak was released in November, but it's worth seeking out due to uncommonly strong songwriting and clever arrangements. It brings to mind Bill Frisell's brilliant "Nashville" from a few years ago, and that's a compliment. Novak's compositions take on a bit darker element than most folk records with a bluegrass touch. Novak is surrounded by a strong band as well; [all] shine throughout...Very well done."

-Craig Parrish
Bellingham Herald

"The Instrumentation on the album is precise, and the musical arrangements blend together evenly all thoughout Ten Valley. Novak's vocals are sung with matter-of-fact frankness, as if just to lay the words out on the table and let the story do the talking. The production is clean as can be, no part is lost and Novak's words are easily understandable."

-Andrea Heimer
What's Up! Magazine

"If you'd like a well-composed look at the space in the middle, check out Matt Novak."

-Graham Isaac
The Bellingham Weekly

"Man, 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
NWI College