[19][20] The Baltimore Sun concluded that, "as clever as the lyrics sometimes are, the album's real allure is its blend of boogie piano, blues guitar, honky tonk twang, and Tex-Mex exuberance.

"[23] USA Today noted that the originals "tend toward the dark or humorous, though guitarist Gary Bennett's 'Storybook Endings (If You Stop Believin')' has both a lyric and a meter that Roger Miller would've appreciated.

"[27] The Washington Post said that Mead "has a dark, humorous streak, as heard in the paean to road rage, '18 Wheels and a Crowbar', and in 'Goodbye, Maria', a tale of suicide set to the happy-sad strains of a polka.

"[28] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution opined: "Like the Stray Cats or Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, BR5-49 has plopped down in a musical era—in this case, 1950s big-twang, cigarettes-and-ashtrays country—which it excavates like an obsessed college kid in a vintage clothing store.

"[21] The Los Angeles Times determined that Mead and Bennett "lack the vocal depth and character to make BR5-49 more than a particularly skilled bar band with a well-developed playful streak.