gave Deadringer a favorable review and commented that the album "plays very much like the soundtrack to a motion picture".

[15] Sam Chennault of Pitchfork called it "an essential purchase for any fan of instrumental hip-hop".

[10] Doug Levy of CMJ New Music Report felt that "DJ Shadow may have started the instrumental hip-hop revolution, but RJD2 is here to make the coup a reality".

[16] Chris Ryan of Spin wrote that RJD2 "goes spelunking for everything from flamenco and pastoral folk to the kind of raw funk breaks that most groove merchants only dream of uncovering".

[12] Tony Van Groningen of Stylus Magazine said that "RJD2 effortlessly changes directions and adds unexpected elements to the mix that do more to perfect the songs than to muddle them up".