In his AllMusic review of the LP, William Ruhlmann notes, "J.J. Cale drifts toward a more pop approach on this album, starting with the lead-off track, ‘City Girls,’ which could almost but not quite be a hit single.

Cale accompanies himself on the folk song "Drifter’s Wife," displaying some impressive finger picking, and returns to the theme of a musician's rootless life on the road.

The straight love song "You Keep Me Hangin’ On" begins with a piano introduction reminiscent of Elton John, unusual for a Cale recording, and contains vulnerable lyrics to a longed-for lover.

The fast tempo boogie "Devil in Disguise" begins with Chuck Berry-type lyrics in the first verse before introducing a girl who has "rock and roll way down in her soul" but who "wants to know where's the limousine" and features an infectious hi-hat ride prominently on the choruses.

"One Step Ahead of the Blues," co-written with fellow Oklahoma musician Roger Tillison, might best reflect Cale's general outlook on the music business and the trappings of fame, opening defiantly with the lines "I ain’t high on cocaine, I don’t need the pain, it’s bad for your brain and that’s true," and later declaring "I don't run with the crowd, I don't talk big and loud…" For years Cale had turned down opportunities that might have helped his record sales, whether they were television appearances or tours, preferring to guide his career as he saw fit.