"[7] American Songwriter noted, "Stelling is an artist who can leave one shaking one's head in bewilderment over how somebody can play difficult guitar parts and sing a completely disparate melody line at the same time.
[4] Rick Moore of Music News Nashville said of the album, "...he [Stelling] is among the best of the current crop of troubadours who are eking out a living by playing house concerts and driving to shows in cars held together with paper clips.
"[11] Chris Martins of SPIN magazine said of the album, "The finger-picking force sings his own quavering brand of hellfire ("The Waiting Swamp") and hope ("You Can Make It") across these 10 songs, which whip the listener back and forth like a steam-powered hayride.
"[12] The full length Anti- debut from the traveling singer-songwriter and finger-picker was heralded in the press, No Depression writing of Stelling,"The energy that this man is able to unleash through his songs and performances is unprecedented.
Stelling spent the previous years on the move with his battered guitar, performing to people as he found them, in bars, informal get-togethers, festivals and packed theaters.
He's a great finger picker, a strong songwriter, listen to his words - you'll love what you hear.” - NPR Music “Christopher Paul Stelling is not just an incredible guitarist — one who is capable of filling a room with only his dexterous fingerpicking, voice, and stomp of his foot - but he’s also an excellent songwriter.” - Acoustic Guitar “Call him a punk rock Leadbelly...he's a dynamo.” “No Waste in this direct, affecting music.” - Big Takeover “He wowed the crowd with virtuosic prowess on a guitar that can only be described as ‘weathered’.
Stelling's appreciation and passion for music has been with him his entire life and they are on full display throughout his new record, Labor Against Waste.” - Diffuser.fm “It's there in his lyrics - rugged yet poetic, blunt yet warmly inviting - and it's there in his hell for leather delivery.
In a glowing review, PopMatters wrote of Itinerant Arias, “over the course of four albums, Stelling has continued to refine that sound to his growing vision of our complex world.
Ben Harper recruited an all-star rhythm section for the recording sessions, including drummer Jimmy Paxson (Stevie Nicks, Dixie Chicks) and bassist Mike Valerio (Randy Newman, LA Philharmonic) to lend a versatility and finesse to Stelling’s soulful guitar playing.