The record displays Banton's humorous approach to serious subjects such as drugs and poverty, which he delivers via singing and toasting, whilst the music balances roots reggae with nascent digital dancehall, with accessible grooves and a punctuating horn section.

[2][3] He followed this with a series of moderately successful singles for Fashion Records,[4] including "Hello Tosh Got a Toshiba", which peaked at reached number three in the British independent reggae charts.

[11] However, by employing Birmingham groups the Studio Two Crew and Steel Pulse, Banton was said by The Rough Guide to Reggae to have "ignored the digital revolution for earlier-sounding roots rhythms".

[9] Writers Dave Schulps and Ira Robbins write that the Studio Two Crew provide heavy reggae rhythms punctuated by "colorful horns and rock-oriented lead guitar".

[12] Throughout the album, Banton sings, toasts and "speed-raps" humorously about subjects such as poverty, war and drugs, comically impersonating his mother on three songs, as well as his wife and a frightened riot victim elsewhere.

[12] Parry Gettelman of The Orlando Sentinel said that Never Give In and Banton's other early albums showed him deliver "serious messages with a light, comedic touch", highlighting "Don't Sniff Coke" for being seriocomic.

She considered the record to successfully pitch "mournful echoes of UB40" against a triumphant, Burning Spear-style horn section, whilst feeling Banton had become more thoughtful than on earlier efforts, coming across as "fresh, funny and committed to giving your ears the toasting they deserve".

"[17] In a retrospective review, Jo-Ann Greene of AllMusic named it an "Album Pick" and wrote that, typical of "the best toasters" and deejays, Banton possesses a "quick wit" and entertains with his imitations of his mother, which are "worthy of a standup comic".

"[15] Dave Schulps and Ira Robbins of Trouser Press praised how Banton laced humour into "his advice on how to behave in Babylon", describing his impersonations of other people as "hilarious".

[9] "Don't Sniff Coke" became Banton's signature song, and he would play it live as his encore,[18] whilst according to Greene, it became a "ganja anthem" and "was of surprisingly little use to the Just Say No brigade.