Press:

"...a collection of beautiful songs..." "...musical fireworks..."
Johan Schoenmakers - AltCountryForum (Netherlands)

"...a hard-chugging roots-rock record in the tradition of Neil Young and Tom Petty..."
Shepherd Express (Milwaukee, WI)

““The singer-songwriter’s unquenchable wanderlust has taken him from Colorado to Wisconsin to West Virginia to Hungary, and during his travels, he wrote Ghost Towns, a full-length dripping with folk-rock immediacy and the kind of grit that cooled heels never gather.””
Jason Heller - Westword (Denver, CO)

“Ghost Towns was ranked #2 in The Isthmus's "10 Best Madison Albums of 2010" list "When Statz moves away from social commentary, his best songs still brood. "Wichita Waltz" reflects on lost love with a twang that's high on pathos."”
Rich Albertoni - The Isthmus

"...dense arrangements and ramshackle jalopies like “Disclaimer” make riding through a demilitarized zone in an old junker sound surprisingly comforting."
The Onion - A.V. Club

"Though yet to be released, Ghost Towns may just be one of my new favorite albums of the year."
Sarah Seehafer - The Scene (Appleton, WI)

"Ghost Towns makes it clear that Statz takes his art seriously. The album is a collection of rootsy folk-rock that travels through places, time and emotions."
Rich Albertoni - The Isthmus (Madison, WI)

"The title is dark, but this release achieves a perfect balance between those upbeat folk-rock gems and the subdued singer-songwriter tracks. It’s great to hear John’s music fleshed out with a full band."
Travis Wood - 5 Score Pachyderm (St. Louis)

"Statz has made quite a name for himself with his acoustical folk ballads reminiscent of Bob Dylan. His earnest, soulful tracks carry their own stories and sentiments that cause your heart to swell."
Channel 3000

"recorded on the first stop of Statz’s spring 2008 tour, which speaks to the artist’s innate talent and preparation for live performances. The musicianship and sound quality are nearly flawless..."
Cactus Joe - Maximum Ink

"Anyone who likes Bob Dylan — which should be everyone — can groove along with John Statz's soothing, soulful and skillful scores delivered with his Dylanesque soft voice. His passionate songwriting, cool guitar and harmonica also evoke Dylan."
Sally Deskins - Omaha Reader

"An Evening With John Statz finds the folk singer sounding somewhat sparse and naked but sweetly robust, giving the album a raw warmth akin to the red-orange glow from a late-night campfire."
Eric Mueller - Earresponsible

“to hear Statz play, you know his shoes have had a workout, as he makes his way through a tune by laying claim to every foot of the miles he walks with it.”
Anne O'Connor - Kickapoo Free Press

"...he keeps the story spare, bringing out an emotional depth from the gut with a series of very well composed and varied guitar lines."
Katjusa Cisar - 77 Square

"Madison songwriter John Statz's patient grasp of acoustic folk should soon put him alongside state favorites like Jeffrey Foucault"
Scott Gordon - The Onion

"His own songs pack a quiet punch. His concise storytelling in the offhandedly chilling "Every Other Time" manages to telescope complex socio-political dynamics. Like Foucault, Statz, 23, is an artful protester, deftly spinning acrid, metaphoric variations on the song's loaded title word."
Kevin Lynch - The Capital Times

"Statz's substantial acoustic tracks make Our Love... an album for the outdoors if there ever was one, a profound piece of Americana."
Michael Corsa - WNUR 89.3 - Northwestern University campus radio

"It's no wonder the bright, young songwriter claimed 2007's Madison Area Music Award (MAMA) for his debut Dusk Came Slow. And with Statz's follow-up, Our Love Was Made for Canada, the dude proves he's no one-trick pony"
Volume One

"His music contains beautiful guitar playing and a voice that harkens back to the golden age of folk artists when they honed their craft performing whenever and wherever they could."
Upstage Magazine

"here's a young troubadour that i think could go places. his name is john statz and he hails from illinois' largest state park, wisconsin. he's an honest and earnest young man with some stories to tell."
Captain's Dead

"the title track backpedals with a statement that seems to end in a slight question mark. Our Love Was Made For Canada? I can speak with less hesitance, this is a beautiful album."
Kyle Pfister - www.justsayinisall.com

"Dusk comes off as an intensely personal collection... each song is a wordy vignette, populated by a rush of characters, emotions and memories."
Kiki Schueler - Rick's Cafe