[10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic thought it lacked the "immediacy" of his recent works, and noted a displeasure in the production which "puts a layer of gauze between the listener and the singer.

[5] BBC Music acclaimed Nelson's voice and performance of traditional country covers: "It’s a long way from "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", "On the Road Again" and "Crazy", and has none of the sparing tension of his finest works like Red Headed Stranger.

But the great news is that his greatest asset – that wonderfully persuasive and uniquely distinctive voice – remains perfectly intact, and that alone is cause enough to make it an album to be cherished... Nelson delivers hardy material like traditional "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down" and "I Am a Pilgrim" with such wizened assurance, it’s impossible not to feel the love".

It's a traditional hymn that nudges Nelson out of his easy-breezy comfort zone, placing those warm, generous pipes in an eerie new context.

That expertise reveals itself in both the selection and handling of each track on Country Music... it takes someone like T Bone Burnett to remind us that there’s no one like Willie Nelson".