"[4] Upon its release, Lynn Saxberg of The Ottawa Citizen described Face to the Gale as being a "return to Hynes' folk roots" after the more "country market"-focused Cryer's Paradise.

She considered the "eloquence" of Hynes' lyrics as "always [being] a highlight of his songwriting" and added that he "explores the timeless themes of folk balladry" across the album.

[6] Roger Levesque of The Edmonton Journal praised Hynes' as a songwriter with "compelling maturity, a fine sense of imagery, moving stories and heartfelt performances", and noted the "refreshing lack of predictable love songs" on Face to the Gale.

He continued, "It's populated by prisoners, immigrants, cabbies, sailors, race horses and most of all by the common man or woman experiencing that loss of place Hynes captures so well in a beautiful acoustic/electric setting.

[8] Aaron Badgley of AllMusic praised it as "a very strong, diverse, well-crafted album that would serve as a wonderful introduction to this talented Canadian artist".