"Jess Novak: Central New York's blues rock wonder woman."

- TheNewsHouse

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"What hit me first was the timbre of her (Novak's) voice; I heard a hint of the sound I remember from listening to the Country and Americana music greats that my Mother loved. Having all the best qualities of artists like Faith Hill, and Bonnie Raitt while also having a very soulful blues vibe. Her voice also has a magnificent power I feel like she could fill the any room with her voice no matter how big it is. She also has a fantastic stage presence and watching her streams really feels like going to a show. She is changing out instruments more quickly and more often than anyone I have seen before and plays each one with great prowess. When you combine this with her song lyrics the results are magnificent. It is almost as if emotion permeates from her songs causing you to channel whatever feelings she is singing about. "

- Words from the unofficial Yoda

"The Jess Novak Band is a beast and Standing Now is an EP that will have you hungry for more. Six songs just isn’t enough when it’s this good. Resilience, empowerment, these are the characteristics of one who might be referred to as formidable.   Do NOT underestimate Jess Novak. Because she’ll knock you down."

– John Tierney

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"There are good, great, sensational, wonderful, perfect bands..... and The Jess Novak Band.

That said, there would be no way to continue with this text because no kind of praise will do true justice to what this band represents with this masterpiece called "A Thousand Lives". Here we speak of an amazingly cohesive combo, formed by musicians of a very high caliber and an absurd versatility who decided to release one of the best works this year. The Jess Novak Band flirts with funk, blues, rock, pop, acoustic and everything you can imagine to generate a rhythmic fruit of unparalleled beauty and unbeatable musicality. Within this hurricane of masterful instrumentals, we come across the beautiful, and melodious, voice of Jess Novak that becomes the icing on the cake. Jess is the kind of singer who knows how to put herself in any situation wonderfully by fitting her voice into any kind of rhythm without any fear of making mistakes - because here we are talking about a true diva who has the wisdom of how to impose herself, with all class and style, and leave a very strong her signature in her compositions. Perfect execution, themes developed by true masters in their instruments, vocal lines with a dynamism that is not of this world and an enviable and competent production is what you will find in "A Thousand Lives", the ceiling of the Cystine Chapel of The Jess Novak Band."​

 - Roadie Music Raves

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"Once again, Jess Novak transforms her personal issues into a searching, graceful and incredibly moving album. But the complexity of her emotion and the nuanced production make this her most ambitious work to date...You could say ‘A Thousand Lives’, backed up with the full weight of her expressive vocals backed by a wonderfully talented band, made this Syracuse-based band one of the most admired today."

-       Sinusoidal Music

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"Their second single from the EP, “Northern Lights", recorded at Hobin Studios in Central New York, is a slow-burn ballad where the band shakes listeners to the core. Built upon the striking elegance of sharp keys and a groove-infused rhythm, the song has us swaying from side to side as the instrumentation moves us both literally and figuratively..."

-       Jennifer Gurton – buzz-music.com 

"In its lyricism and upbeat instrumentation, “The Key” tackles themes such as baggage, trauma, and moving on. Lyrics like “If the ground keeps crumbling, then grow some wings/You gotta rise to survive this thing” metaphorically express how the world may be a cruel and unfair place, however, we have the power to let go of the things weighing us down and reach our goals."

-       Nick Sanin - NYSMusic

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