[2] Writing for Exclaim!, Kerry Mullin wrote: "Beautiful as these less lo-fi tracks are, they're better suited for a different, effects-driven project.

What instead makes Heavy Sun memorable are Lanois' exercises in restraint, like the pretty harmonies with his bandmates and the space ceded to Shepherd's vocal-organ one-two-punch.

Regardless, this album reveals that Lanois is as gifted a collaborator and curator of talent as he is a creator of atmospheric productions for megastars.

"[7] At Mojo, James McNair said: "Heavy Sun is a salve against pandemic blues; a joyous gospel record largely built on the Hammond of Johnny Shepherd, sometime organist at Zion Baptist in Shreveport, Louisiana.

"[8] John Amen, writing for No Depression, wrote: "Heavy Sun is a broad-brush celebration of existence and art; it’s also a testimony to a career spent crafting subtleties, how a project’s details can make all the difference.