At Country Weekly, Jon Freeman graded the album an A, saying that on the release Niemann "doubles down on the electric approaches he has long favored and comes up with a bag full of surprises."

"[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album two out of five stars, saying that "Despite the cowboy stance of its title, there isn't much swagger on High Noon: it's all slick, smooth and rather slow; so mellow that even the odes to "Day Drinkin'" and "Beach Baby" barely quicken the pulse.

"[7] Furthermore, Erlewine states that "Coming after the untrammeled Free the Music, this conservatism is certainly a disappointment but the crushing thing is, High Noon isn't merely cautious, it's boring.

"[7] At USA Today, Brian Mansfield rated the album two-and-a-half stars out of four, writing that the "Single Drink to That All Night may be country's response to EDM, but Niemann's songs hold up even with stripped-down arrangements [...] Except, maybe, for the one that rhymes 'donkey' with 'honky-tonky.

'"[11] Gary Graff of The Oakland Press rated the album two-and-a-half stars out of four, stating that the release is "aptly titled" on which he's "definitely on target with what’s working in country these days, making Niemann at least a distinctive voice in a pack that’s rapidly towing the same line.