"....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)

“Poetic observations of people, places and times unencumbered by musical boundaries…folk, rock and even reggae…‘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)

“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)

“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)

“…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)

“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)

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)

“…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 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)

“…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)

“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 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)

“ **** 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… and today, as I write this entering the second week of a 14 day Covid self-isolation and ponder my recent 63rd birthday, is one of those days.” (Rock Doctor Reviews & 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)

“…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)

FROM THE PRESS KIT: The Day Deserved, is Doug Hoekstra’s first album in over a decade, marking a stellar return to form and then some. Musically, the songs are diverse and deviate far from the typical singer-songwriter fare. All were demoed to explore arrangement ideas, but then grew out of core based sessions, into a cohesive mix of the tight and the orchestral, reflecting rock, folk, and reggae touches, colors of everything from gypsy fiddle (“Seaside Town” a tale of a disenfranchised artist) to reggae roots melodica (“Carry Me,” an ode to fatherhood and connectedness). Other highlights include the expansive slow ore build of “Higher Ground” (from the viewpoint of an elderly man seeing his homeland disappear), the soul-inspired "Wintertime,” (layers of history, race, and music), the cello-driven “Unseen Undetected” (alternate tales of an immigrant and an intolerant, both heretofore hidden).