“The name of the cd came from the fact that many of the artist did their part, and walked away. Leaving things in the capable hands of Renee and Nelson Blanchard, and David Hyde. Some of the artist that lent their talents to the cd are none other than Dr. John that brings his sound to the song “Finally Found You”, the first cut on the cd, which happens to be one of my fave. Marty Balin lends his vocal talents to the song “In the Middle of the Night”, which makes for a fabulous duet with Renee. The fifth song has that Fat's Domino sound, classic! Pete Anderson, Dwight Yoakam's best guitarist imo, offers up his signature sound to “Poor Cold Heart”, which sounds like it could have been a Loretta Lynn hit, fresh from the hills. This cd has the classic sounds of New Orleans, mixed with a bit of country. Renee has a sweet sound that could fit in the genre of Alison Krauss. Sure it may not me my fave genre of music to get the party started, but I can appreciate it. I would like to thank Renee Cheek for her efforts to keep the sound of New Orleans alive, and expanding in yet another direction."                                                             Cyndi Ford - PUNK GLOBE MAGAZINE

“Renee' and the Walkaways—The Walkaway Sessions (Self Produced, 2013). Vocalist Renee' Cheek heads up the piquant gumbo talent of her very own band, the Walkaways. The Walkaway Sessions is a Louisiana grassroots affair produced by David Hyde, who also provides bass playing. The music is a rich roux drawing equally from the blues, country, zydeco, Tex-Mex and jazz...but make it heavy on the country. Originals "No Regrets," "Poor Cold Heart" and "I Don't Need You" are the country anchor that holds this musical boat steady, allowing this crack band and vocalist to explore the creole wonder of "Easy Come Easy Go" or the swampy R&B of "Too Stupid To Stop." Cheek's vocals are stripped down and unadorned, infused with the necessary twang to make her singing authentic. With Dr. John on organ and Marcia Ball singing background vocals, one can not go too far afield. When Cheek gets that full horn section behind her, she is a wonder.”

C. Michael Bailey - ALL ABOUT JAZZ 

"The genesis of this easy-rocking, blues-belting, soul-lifting collection of songs has probably played out — with far less success — on a million couches, in a million musician’s living rooms. Renee Cheek and David Hyde started with a wish list of guests. Cheek, a singer just as adept at the winking aside as the sultry come on, and the Julliard-trained bassist Hyde even arranged the songs on The Walkaway Sessions with certain all-star voices in mind. Who hasn’t thought something along those lines? You can imagine the conversation playing out: What if Dr. John played keyboards on my song “Finally Found,” or “Goodbye Bobby Charles” — or both? Wouldn’t “Fool” and “A Song for Robert” sound cool with the addition of Augie Meyers of the Sir Douglas Quintet? Marty Balin, the guy from Jefferson Starship? Thing is, all of that happens on The Walkaway Sessions — impishly named, since that’s what all of these famous folks did: Play their ever-loving asses off, then split."

Nick DeRiso - SOMETHING ELSE