Michigan Rain received mixed reviews in 1989, with critics praising the then-19-year-old Alexander's flair and potential but feeling the album was uneven overall.

Jim Yardley wrote in The Anniston Star that Alexander displayed a "quirky sense of humour (and a) pop-music, danceable style" but needed to "broaden his scope and look beyond such banalities (of) silly, sophomoric lyrics".

[4] In a similar vein, Neil Randall of Waterloo Region Record wrote that Alexander's songwriting showed positive signs for a bright future with "real melodies" and "a good intuition for the lyric of sadness", but that the album overall was "only interesting, not captivating".

[5] Surrey Now-Leader's Dale Winnitowy called Alexander "uninhibited, explosive, but tempered with finesses" and compared him to Eric Carmen and Prince, concluding that "the musical world will not be able to ignore him forever".

[6] Paul Wagner in the Santa Cruz Sentinel wrote that Alexander was "not ready yet to stop imitating everyone famous within earshot; when he is, we'll be listening".