[5] Culture was backed by the Roots Radics band; the group made it a point to avoid the then-trendy computerized sound of 1980s reggae production.

[6][7] The Chicago Tribune called the album "a monster dance record," writing that "Joseph Hill's deep, soul-searching voice is as expressive as that of Bob Marley or Burning Spear's Winston Rodney, while the harmonies of Albert Walker and Kenneth Dayes shadow every syllable.

Hill's songs about backbiting in the black community, jumping into the 'Frying Pan' of adulthood and his own straying into temptation are as distinctively personal as they are catchily soulful.

"[5] The Reno Gazette-Journal noted that "Hill's voice is a thing of beauty as it hovers at the edge of wildness and then swoops in to harmonize.

"[13] AllMusic thought that "with the digital sounds of ragga in vogue and many of Culture's contemporaries taking a more commercial route, it was refreshing to find a group sticking to what they do best.