Lyrics address issues like abortion ("Sally's Pigeons"), racism ("A Part Hate"), spousal abuse ("Product of Misery" and "Broken Glass") and incest ("Lies").

She praised Lauper's vocals ("her multioctave voice has never sounded better, hitting highs, lows and everything in between") and the musical arrangement for its "imaginative" combination of rootsy instrumentation and R&B staples, underpinned by dance-music mainstays.

People magazine gave the album a favorable review in which it was said that the real strength of the album "is the way Lauper lets her feelings and opinions, dark as some of them are, emerge naturally" the review ended claiming that the "wacky energy that made Lauper perfect for the go-go '80s is pretty much gone-gone, but Hat's clear-eyed pop rock provides '90s nourishment for body and soul."

Tom Sinclair from Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B and wrote that it brings a diversity of rhythms and vocals to reach varied tastes he conclude that old fans of Lauper "probably won't be disappointed by Hat Full of Stars" but he was skeptical about the record being able to garner a new audience for the singer.

The magazine felt that Cyndi had steered away from the "more stark and synth-dominated efforts" of her recent work and instead re-instated some of "the almost child-like musical Americana we fell in love with on her debut She's So Unusual".

[12] Billboard magazine gave the album a positive review, stating that it marked a "metamorphosis" for Lauper from "fun-loving, she-bopping squealer" to a "mature artiste with admirable depth".

[7] Other tracks noted as highlights were "A Part Hate", "Lies", which recalled "early Siouxsie & the Banshees", "Feels Like Christmas" and "Like I Used To", described as a "hybrid of Madonna-style pop and vintage Motown".

[7] Cashbox praised the album as "wonderful" commenting that "few things in contemporary music are as compelling as watching an artist mature and develop...as time passes, Miss Lauper’s art improves by leaps and bounds.