"[4] AAJ's Troy Collins described the album as the group's "most stylistically varied and sonically dense recording," and remarked: "In Praise of Shadows represents a marked step forward for the duo.

With a decade worth of albums to their credit under the banner of the Chicago Underground, Mazurek and Taylor prove they have plenty of room left to explore with this project.

"[5] In an article for PopMatters, Scott Hreha called the album "Mazurek and Taylor's strongest statement to date in the Duo configuration," and stated that Mazurek "remains unafraid of space in either his composed or improvised material; one gets the impression that even seemingly random note choices and placements are made with great precision and deliberation, often allowing the listener plenty of room to digest the overall contours of the music.

"[7] Lars Gotrich of Tiny Mix Tapes commented: "In Praise of Shadows continues the Duo's metamorphosis, but holistically extends the idea into a more pure form of textural ambience... [it] will be one of the most fully realized concepts, visually or aurally, jazz or ambient, you hear in 2006.

"[8] Dusted Magazine's Bill Meyer remarked: "The music's language, originally a two-sided coin of Don Cherry-steeped free jazz excursions and minimalist-inspired compositions, has been filtered through various genre explorations and the input of other players...