[12] Mario Tarradell with The Dallas Morning News gave it a "B" rating, calling it a "solid follow-up" to Learn to Live, and said that he "ably captures the nuances of mainstream country".

[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine with Allmusic called it "a gleaming example of polished, pressed, modern country-pop" and gave it a three star rating.

[3] Rick Moore with American Songwriter gave it three and a half stars, saying "Charleston, SC 1966 doesn’t break any rules or new ground, and probably wasn’t meant to [...] it’s obviously calculated to appeal to the million people who bought Learn to Live, so if you’re one of them, you’ll probably like this record.

"[4] Michael McCall with the Associated Press called the tracks on the release "too radio friendly" and said that "his new focus loses the creative sweep and emotional force that made his first country album so compelling.

[15] Jonathan Keefe with Slant Magazine gave it a two and a half star rating, calling the material "banal".