On their new "Rise & Shine" CD, Nikki & The RueMates prove once again that acoustic country blues is a living, breathing, growing thing in Minnesota. They pull off the same re-animation trick for hippie folk-rock, too. Nikki Matteson is a disarming, convincing singer and an unguarded, very personal songwriter. Her beau, Rich Rue, plays a lot of great resophonic guitar and shares in the song creation and production. "Rise & Shine" is, by turns, dreamy, sexy, gritty, smooth and always intimate. ~Tom Surowitz, Star Tribune July 2012 Nikki & The RueMates have finished an album that was four years in the making. Rise & Shine is the band's answer to country-folk-rock of decades past. In a music industry where most artists seem to take yesterday's remix as a starting point, it's refreshing to hear music that has the nerve to dig a little deeper and look a little further back. ~Youa Vang, City Pages July 2012 Singer Nikki Matteson has that sweet, achy warble in her voice that makes her perfect for folk songs, country blues and roots music. She and her band the RueMates, led by guitarist and Matteson’s songwriting partner Rich Rue (also of the Hightops and Roe Family Singers), are throwing a CD release party (Friday, July 6) for their third album, “Rise & Shine.” ~The MinnPost, July 2012