"[17] The Chicago Reader noted that "Coty's got the good taste to lift Benmont Tench's mordant organ sound, which was always the Heartbreakers' secret weapon.

"[18] USA Today determined that most of the album is "like a rewarding and interesting conversation with Coty, providing a surprisingly wide range of rootsy music plus savvy, caustic commentary on life's odd turns.

"[16] Entertainment Weekly thought that "Coty sings with an exploding powder keg of a voice and weds blues, country, and rock like he was born for the task.

"[14] The Chicago Tribune stated that Coty's "tales find the dark and dangerous corners of the human soul and can be extremely unsettling.

"[8] The Record concluded that "an unmistakable Springsteen influence runs through Neal Coty's debut, from the sometimes melodramatic flourishes of the music to the scruffy, restless, and wounded characters who populate the songs.