The Day Deserved

“peerless musical tales of quirks & misdemeanors” (Brighton Magazine)

“The Day Deserved is a welcome return to song from one of Nashville’s most lauded songwriters…you’ll see Doug Hoekstra’s name on various end of the year best of lists…” (Ink 19)

Always an interesting cat, Hoekstra’s magic has always sprung from sounding so underground yet being visible enough to nail real awards…his first record in a decade is cause for celebration” (Midwest Record)

“Poetic observations of people, places and times unencumbered by musical boundaries…folk, rock and even reggae. Cohen is there, as are Dylan, the Velvet Underground and The Kinks.….there is a great deal going on both lyrically and musically throughout this record that it can be hard keeping up. But even if the eloquent lyrics do detach themselves from the flowing layers of sound do not despair. ‘The Day Deserved’ merits repeated listening, an experience akin to returning to an art gallery several times and finding something new on each visit.” (Americana-UK)

“Intricate and articulate lo-fi Americana….scintillating and tragically beautiful, sounding like Pete Shelley fronting a Velvet Underground offshoot.  Doug Hoekstra is not just a mighty fine singer, songwriter and storyteller; but the way this is sequenced and indeed; produced put it right up there with the Big League…”  (Rocking Magpie UK)

“…there’s a place for well-measured and carefully crafted intelligent song craft.  Our touchstones are probably the like of Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Tom Waits, and Jackson Browne (add your own favourites).  So, here, filling his application to join this estimable bunch, is Doug Hoekstra…The Day Deserved is one of those albums which slowly creeps into your life.  It’s polished, all the songs are gems which have been cut to perfection but they reflect darkly the world around them.  Hoekstra leads his note perfect ensemble on a variety of styles ranging from the lounge-lizard sleaze and sophisticated syncopations to dreamlike reveries and tender introspective murmurings.”  (Blabber ‘n Smoke UK)

“….this is far from the usual singer-songwriter fare. Delve into Hoekstra’s real and imaginative worlds, bask in his words, and enjoy the full experience….” (Glide Magazine)

“ **** this collection of musical poems again shows Hoekstra to be a master observer, allowing imagination to flow and an inventive musical arranger fully in control of necessary mood swings.” (Rock and Reel, UK)

“The Day Deserved is the kind of record that draws you back again and again, and with each listen comes a new discovery in the stories he sings. Songs like, “Gandy Dancer”, “Seaside Town” and “Higher Ground” could each be a Netflix or Hulu series.” (Liner Notes WMOT Murfreesboro)

The Day Deserved’s “…ten songs are all lengthy, few coming in at less than five minutes and several stretching out to over seven minutes, and, embracing components of jazz, pop, folk and country, none of them finishing at the same point upon which they started. Lyrically they reveal the humanitarian Hoekstra’s political and social concerns.” (Pennyblack Music Interview)

“…this is music you should listen to with the lyrics at your fingertips, because Hoekstra is a poet and a singer.”  (Kultuurfabriek Full Interview (NL)

“…a marvel in the arts of storytelling and songcraft…a fine example of Hoekstra’s versatility as a songwriter.” (Aldora Britan Issue #58)

“…brilliant somewhat minimalist New Wave folkie singer/songwriter stuff (think Leonard Cohen produced by John Cale)…this new one is a) his fists in nearly a decade and b) absolutely insinuating, i.e., the kid’s still got it.” (Power Pop Top 10 of 2021)

(Real Roots Cafe review – Netherlands)

“…bound to land on many ‘best of 2021‘ lists..the arrangements on this album are impeccable….ten  beautiful underground pop songs executed to perfection…this man has a totally killer understated manner of singing that is instantly appealing….The Day Deserved is an album that will surely stand the test of time. Resilient, smart and different. This one’s a modern-day classic. Highly recommended.”(Baby Sue Top Pick)

“Perhaps the message in Late Night Ramble sums it all up in the lines, ‘Some people skate the surface, Others go just deep enough, To feel any kind of feeling, That isn’t mindless and numb.’ The message of live-and-let-live runs through these songs, however fractured and in need of support we all may be. The gaps between are not as great as the potential for love and understanding in these troubled times. Welcome back Doug, we missed you!” (Lonesome Highway, Ireland – Top 20 of 2021)

Hoekstra’s “songwriting and storytelling acumen is as sharp as ever…on a reinvigorated creative streak, a welcome return for those who followed his career prior to the sabbatical and a terrific introduction to those coming to him new.  It’s a new day and most certainly well deserved.” (Fatea UK).

“…Thoroughly intriguing and compelling, an album that reaches well beyond the usual melodic and thematic constraints…deep thought fleshed out with full finesse, The Day Deserved ought to be considered a truly singular accomplishment. (Goldmine)

“ **** There aren’t so many musicians who approach their work at this level, none of today’s pre-fab pop artists to be sure. Hoekstra realizes that if a story is worth telling, he is going to use whatever is necessary at his creative disposal to get that message across.   The Day Deserved is not the kind of album I’m going to listen to every day, but there will be times when I will need what it has to offer; solace, comfort, and help in changing the way I think about things… today, as I write this entering the second week of a 14 day Covid self-isolation and ponder my recent 63^rd birthday, is one of those days.” (Rock Doctor Music Zine and Podcast, Canada)

Hoekstra’s albums have “deeper arrangements, an extensive range of instruments, as if Roxy Music, David Bowie, and Lou Reed are throwing a party of recognition…The Day Deserved is a gem, worth waiting for…’ (Alt Country Forum, Netherlands)

“ The Day Deserved is a ten track record that skirts the line between Americana and the more slowcore indie movement like Low, Mazzy Star or Slow Dive. The songs are steeped in storytelling and leverage similar instrumentation to the Americana world but the feeling of embarrassing earnesty that is common to the genre is absent here…how many songs have you heard today about the emergency evacuation of island nation Kirabiti b/c of rising sea levels? The answer should be ONE! Higher Ground tackles the subject, beautifully…a captivating video, a wild subject and an interesting slowcore song. Checking lots of boxes there.” (We Own This Town, Nashville)

” **** 4 stars…the music of Doug Hoekstra is worth listening to, as a singer and an important poet (Lust for Life, Netherlands)

“….an ambitious and distinctive new album The Day Deserved is diverse and intriguing idiomatically.  While the solid rock foundation and writerly lyricism are dominant features, Hoekstra explores many other musical areas, ranging from vintage dub reggae to edgy and politically potent soul. Elements of jazz and folk are integrated into the basic framework, with Hoekstra’s hushed singing voice and assured authorial voice binding them together….a Nashville polymath ”  (Nashville Scene)

“…I was always a fan of records, meaning whole sets of songs that worked as a piece, the arrangements of each song, how one plays off the other, that sort of thing….” (Aldora Britain Issue #60 Interview)

**** .authentic like something shared after an emotional night sharing drinks until closing time.” (Discogs)

(Americana Highways Interview)

“Doug Hoekstra released an album earlier this year entitled The Day Deserved, which is easily one of the best releases of 2021. He also authored a book entitled Ten Seconds In-Between, which is a cool collection of short stories. Hoekstra is a man with focus and creativity galore. I would recommend anything that springs forth from this brilliant man’s mind.” (Baby Sue Year End November 2021)

Backstory Plus….

“Basically, after all the creative activity I’d been engaged in over the years, I spent the past decade stepping away from music to raise my son, work non-profit, teach, and do some prose writing.  He’s older now and a couple years ago, I was inspired by the influx of free time, things in our country I wanted to write about, and things I wanted to say musically, different than I had in the past.”

“So, this is a record intended to be a marker of the times, disenfranchised characters inhabiting the tunes, pressing on through barriers and breaks fostered by their surroundings.  Often, they travel a circuitous route, reflected in music that mirrors their path to self-determination, authenticity, happiness.  Sometimes the fruits of this journey are reflected in something as simple as a better day, their day, the day deserved.”  Hope you enjoy and can find yourself between the notes.  (Doug Hoekstra, 2021)