la Gazette de Greenwood *le Webzine Blues*(French webzine), dec-03, ("Slidin´ Out" review)
"Crazy. This guy is crazy. See (hear) what his guitar is put up to ! Matti Norlin ? I didn't know until a friend of mine mails me this CD. [here there is a game of word between mailing and crazyness where the writing uses an untranslatable french slang word]. Crazy about guitar, this Matti Norlin sure is !
I don't know why, I didn't play the CD right away. It stayed there, on the living room table, scoffing at me with its title : Slidin' Out. And then I put it in the player.....and. it exploded !
"What I like the most of playing in different tunings is that most of the time I don't know which notes I play". !!! This is what Matti says in the liner notes. The first number, Not Allowed, tells it all : it tousles one's hair with the slide! And everything that follows is of the same kind, even if the beat (sometimes) slows down. In addition to the furious slide (Groovin' for instance), Matti Norlin also plays a breathtaking finger picking (Cool Down is a good sample of it). Slidin' Out is a tune "hard to play, especially since I tend to play it fast". oh yeah ??!!
But amongst those 14 songs (all originals), there are a few moments of relative respite, with pure jewels such as Rooftop Jive or This Day Will Never Return.
Recorded in Stockholm (didn't I tell you ? Matti Norlin is swedish) in his own flat, alone with his guitars (6 and 12 strings, National, banjo) and his stomping foot as a rhythm section, you alredy have understood this CD is a little chef d'ouvre of acoustic guitar. If you don't know Matti Norlin, rush to his website http://www.mattinorlin.com where you'll be able to hear extracts from his music and most of all : order his CD ! Oli "

ÖP (Östersunds Posten), 14/9 -02 ("Slidin´ Out" review)
" It´s still raw and acoustic, but the material on this album is much more progressive than plain traditional blues. The second song on the album, Distant as a star, is a great rock tune, and with the right drumbeat I´m sure that it could be played at any dancefloor."

Hallands Nyheter, 7/9-02 ("Slidin´ Out" review)
"Mattis new album strictly contains his own original music, and on several tracks it sounds like he is trying to combine Delta Blues with Punk..."
"...both skillful, playful and beautiful"

Värmlands Folkblad, 6 sept 2002 ("Slidin´out" review)
Matti, the best in Sweden?
"If I claim that the best blues guitarist in Sweden is Matti Norlin and lives on Flintbacken in Stockholm, then I´m sure that people with more experience would have objections.
And that is exactly what happened when Matti played the opening song "Not Allowed" on this his third album, at a small club and someone in the audience was crying out:- Why don´t you play the blues for real!"
But this is Mattis own definition of the Blues, and with this partially phenomenal album, he should have the preference as a interpretionist.
I´m not really sure what guitars he´s using, but I can say that his technique is astonishing, without loosing the blues feeling, and he manage to variate his sound among others by grabbing hold of the Banjo, this sadly underrate instrument which in the right hands can make a whole concert hall crumble."

Groove, nr 6 2002 ("Slidin´out" review)
"You have got to say right away that Matti Norlin is one hell of a guitar player with as much of Mississippi John Hurt and Prewar Blues as Led Zeppelins Hats of to (Roy) Harper in his fingers. On his third record, Norlin is firing off the one slide tune after the other in a way that makes your trousers flutter. It´s a pleasure to hear him play."

Dala-Demokraten, 16 aug. -02 ("Slidin´out" review)
Yeah! Matti Norlin is delivering Crazy Blues all by himself. Slidin´out is as far from an overproduced record as you can get, it´s just one guitar and one voice, that´s all. A dirty sound and a straight fotstamp to keep the beat and to help you from getting lost in all the different turns. Down to earth and really cool.
You can feel the smoky club house infront of you. Or why not the fire place in the middle of the woods. Matti takes the blues and adds even more cow-minoure and cowboy feeling to it.
It turns into some sort of Punk-Blues, with a feeling that brings shiver down your spine. He plays like he has sold both his guitar and soul to the devil. What a rush!
I want Matti Norlin sitting in my sofa playing guitar when it´s time for partying on a Friday night.

LT, 15 aug.-02 ("Slidin´out" review)
"Matti from little Hoting in little Jämtland is continuing to grow into an even bigger bluesman within the swedish roots stage. You can here it clearer than ever when you listen to his third solo-album. This time all 14 songs is his own composions. Like the tiltle says, the slide guitar has got the major part. The things that makes "Slidin´Out" to a huge exclamation mark are Mattis songs and the way he sings them. Listen to "This day will never return", "Distant as a star", "Groovin´", "Sugar" and you´re probably listening to the finest tunes in the bottleneck style ever recorded in our land."

Provinstidningen Dalsland, 13/7 -02
"Breakfastblues is a new thing for Åmåls Blues assosiation. We sat down at Café Liljan where Matti Norlin was on the menue. Not completely unexpected did we find a nutritious and well mixed breakfast. Now it wasn´t a suprise. Matti Norlin played two delicious sets."

Program, Åmåls bluesfest, 12/7 -02
Matti Norlin is storming into Gågatan with his trio and spits out unpolished blues mixed with country, rock and folkmusic from the deep woods. "We don´t forget the crazy-blues from September 2002"! Another Åmål favourite hitting town. Acoustic crazy-punk-blues!

Vimmerby Tidning, 1/7 - 02
"Saturdays performance at the Summerstage with bluesguitarist Matti Norlin was well responded by an audience with there umbarellas ready in one hand. Matti Norlin, a 29 year old former Hoting inhabitant, now living in Stockholm, is normally playing with the group Badge that performed at Hultsfredsfestivalen two weeks ago, was now performing on his own with his original music. Guitarist Matti Norlin showed an original style, and was using both bottleneck and screwdriver to get the right chords on the guitarneck. It almost sounded like he was playing a twelve stringed guitar. A performance worth aplauding !"
-Anders Lagerman

Jefferson, nr 120, -99 (Karlskoga Bluesfestival review)
"Matti Norlins first set was full of fun, a local reporter asked me why he never plans a set-list……" "….innumerable are those who were astonished of what you can do with a guitar. Older blues-fans ask themselves : - How good can he get?!?!? -Jonas Högberg



Web site Review , -98
"Bluesguitarist, songwriter and singer Matti Norlin has released his second solo album. Those who´ve heard Matti Norlin before will soon recognize themselves. A skillful picking on the guitar combined with his trademark, screwdriver sliding. On Retarted rag Matti is joined by Fredrik Haake (drums, pots and pans and kazoo) and Lennart Zethzon (screams),then you can easily imagine what it sounds like. You can also find calmer notes, on for instense Hear my soul cry, a song which directly touches me with it's sadness. "Kitchen sink blues" contains good songs and good playing, which results in a great CD." -Tony Berg



LT,-98 (Kitchen sink blues review)
"Matti Norlins kitchen recordings are impressive. Passion and knowledge are walking side by side and fits like a glove. He's an excellent instrumentalist and a good singer."


Åmål´s bluesfest program, -98
"In just a few years Matti has come forward as a young leader for acoustic revival-blues. Free from prejudice about how the blues should sound like he has created his own style. Mattis audience is taken by storm wherever he performs."



Jefferson, -98 (Kitchen sink blues review)
"The last CD's "fieldrecordings" from Hoting, Ångermanland has been replaced by live/no overdubs, from his own kitchen in Jordbro, Stockholm. Fredrik Haake and Lennart Zethzon are joining in on pots and pans, kazoo and bass in different constellations on six tracks, and Brian Kramer is playing steelbodied guitar on two tracks. The CD remains only original material, and the concept is still pre-war, with a few exceptions; Hear my soul cry got me to think of John Fahey and Set my ship on fire is a jazzy blueswaltz. On Emigration blues he´s playing electric guitar in the style of Fred McDowell, and Matti´s even playing the banjo on a couple of songs. With Learn from others mistakes, Suitcase blues and Layin´down blues Matti shows that he can produce blues in an exquisite way. Anchored in the traditions but yet with a personal style. Which shows what potential this man has got to bring forward."
-Max W. Sievert



Lick magazine, A touch of blues -98 (Dutch magazine)
"The first night it was pre-party time at the terras of the restaurant on the beach and although the weather was not so good, the music and ambiance was as great as ever. Matti "Speedy" Norlin was playing that night and the Dutch and Belgians were really surprised by that young guy. Well, what's young? It's all a matter of experience and
Matti seems to live as fast as he plays."



Cadence, may -98 (New York magazine)
"The young Swedish guitarplayer Norlin displays an astonishing acoustic technique from passionate slide to dexterous rag style. He also shows a mastery of flat picking to rival Big Bill Broonzy´s great originals." -David Lewis

Bruce Iglauer, Alligator records,Chicago
"Mattis playing is tasteful and solid and has really good deep blues feeling."

Provinstidningen Dalsland, -97
"I was hit by a slight shock as I payed a visit to the stage at Hantverkmagasinet. There was a young man playing his guitar as it was the only thing he´d ever done. Matti Norlin had presented himself, and that in a mind-sticking way. Norlin was sweating in the heat and performed a pure and capturing blues." "At Stadt Hotel Matti Norlin was performing in front of an almost devotional quiet and listening audience. Again you could do nothing but admire his simple and straightforward emotional way of playing."
-Tony Berg


Lick magazine, A touch of blues -97 (Dutch magazine)
"Matti Norlin has a unique sound and you should book him before it's to late! This man, touring in Italy at this moment, has a great future."


Stereo Magazine, Number 3, -97
"Guitarist Matti Norlin is a real treat to listen to ".
It has been a while since I heard such blues shredding."


Bluesbulletinen,nr 23 (concert review, Mönsterås -97)
"Matti Norlin was amazingly impressive. He played countryblues with a feeling that has got to be unique in Sweden. -The Robert Johnson of Sweden!"


Säffletidningen, July -97
"Matti Norlin is the future of the blues. Twenty-four year old Norlin performed at Åmål´s bluesfest for the first time, and he did it with immense power. Matti played rough and hard blues, and got great response by the crowd."
-Ingrid Hjortvid


Backstage magazine, Pre-war blues review -95
"This was a big surprise. I'm really impressed by Mattis skillful and tasteful guitarplaying. Slide, chickenpicking and traditional blues playing. Totally amazing! "


Expressen -95
"Memorize the name Matti Norlin, Bluesguitarist. Norlin played a heavy version of Robert Johnsons Crossroad blues. What a talent! What attack! What a surprise!"
-Georg Cederskog


Jefferson,Nr 108 - 1995 (The Scandinavian blues magazine)
"How was I to approach this review? Matti Norlin, the delta blues playing "Ångermanlander" from Hoting. Perhaps I could use a light approach and pretend "Hooting" was located in Mississippi? When I opened the CD I noticed Matti had already used that tactic. Then I listened and realized he didn´t need any introduction - he managed well without an introduction of any kind. I´ve seldom heard anyone interpret Robert Johnson or Blind Boy Fuller in a "blacker" way than Matti does. There are as many ways to play the blues as there are ways to eat crayfish. Several talented white guys have through companies like Blue Goose, Rounder and Flying Fish aspired to recreate 1920´s and 30´s blues, but I never heard anyone suck claws and chew shells to create that spoon, that spoonful of blues like Matti does. His inspiring and emotional voice, and his powerful and competent guitarplaying makes this record unique. If these songs had been Yazoo labeled with the buzz of the old records they would have been celebrated documents of one of the finest blues eras. Perhaps blues fanatics of today will hesitate, but Matti´s CD is definitely worth buying, both for the personal and traditional way in which he interprets a past era, as well as the imaginative and skillful way in which he does it.."
- Max W. Sievert