Guest instrumentalists include guitarist Leo Kottke, Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks, and bluegrass virtuosos Jerry Douglas and Tim O'Brien.

states that "Out of the Valley... reveals a mature artist with a keen sense of observation with equal parts humor and compassion.

"Good Noise" is an upbeat gospel-tinged song that promotes a bright optimism not often found in Gorka's earlier work.

The following lines about a commemorative stamp are just one example: The fat man's gone the thin one stayed Still flashy in that gold lame' Lick his back and press him down Mail him to another town That's why, why they say he's still alive "That's Why" is not Gorka's only tribute to the "King of Rock'n'Roll", for another see the 2006 Billy C. Wirtz album, Sermon from Bethlehem, for a recording of "The King & I", a tune penned by Gorka and Fred Koller.

"Carnival Knowledge" is a tragic story of a circus clown whose grease paint provides his only escape from the depths of low self-esteem.

It was sometime around the time of the recording of this album that Gorka himself moved out of "The Valley" and began the transition to his current home in Minnesota.

While the song is delivered in a serious tone Gorka manages to inject a fair amount of humor: Full serve attendants were spilling their hoses Self-serve was doing the same The manager dialed the emergency numbers Insurance man won't take the claim A reviewer for Allmusic preferred the relatively simple production.

He wrote that this track, "in which the only instrumentation is a guitar and the voices of Gorka and Mary Chapin Carpenter, demonstrates an amazing imagination and an ability to captivate with great storytelling.

Perhaps the track of greatest interest from this release was the live solo version of "Furniture" recorded at "The Mountain", KMTT in Seattle, Washington.