Afterward, the Jeffers brothers became backing musicians for other artists, Schell joined Pure Prairie League, and Reynolds released a solo album.
Pinmonkey received general critical favor for Reynolds's singing voice, bluegrass and country rock influences, and the breadth of their cover song choices.
He had been hired by Steve Earle as a backing musician, which led to him also playing for Joy Lynn White, Buddy Miller, Chris Knight, and Elizabeth Cook.
[3][2] Reynolds initially performed at various Nashville venues as a solo artist, as a means of promoting his songwriting, through the suggestion of another Cat's employee.
Rick Schell heard about Reynolds's music through connections the two had at the attorney's office, and the other three hired him to contribute on drums and sopranist harmony.
[2] The independent album received a positive review in Billboard, which compared the band favorably to Pure Prairie League and Poco, while also praising Reynolds's lead vocals and the musicianship.
[3] Contributing musicians on the album included Ricky Skaggs, Al Perkins, and former Poco member Rusty Young, and Paul Worley produced.
[12] Jack Leaver of The Grand Rapids Press rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of four, praising the cover songs in particular, as well as the use of Dobro and vocal harmony.
[1] A third single for BNA, a cover of Robbie Fulks's "Let's Kill Saturday Night", peaked at number 44 on Hot Country Songs in 2004.
[21][22] Reynolds wrote three tracks on the album, while other contributing writers included Kieran Kane, Joy Lynn White, and Billy Montana.
[23] Also included was a cover of Kelly Willis's "Wrapped" (written by her then-husband, Bruce Robison);[22] a year later, George Strait would have a number two hit on the country charts with his own version.
[25] Giving the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine wrote, "the album is too stylistically scattershot to stand as a coherent statement of artistic identity, but the elements of greatness—the technical skill, the recognition of good material, the charisma—are all present to varying degrees, making Pinmonkey one of the few honest-to-God bands on Music Row worth following.
Erik Hage of AllMusic wrote that Pinmonkey "boasts a heady blend of country/Americana styles: traditional Southern gospel, Appalachian folk, Carter Family harmonizing, Muscle Shoals pop-soul, and even traces of '70s rock.
[25] Leaver compared it favorably to that of Pure Prairie League vocalist Craig Fuller,[11] a comparison also made by Billboard in their review of Speak No Evil,[10] while Keefe found it similar to Jeff Hanna of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
[32] Writing for the Detroit Free Press, Greg Crawford thought the band's sound mixed bluegrass with 1970s country rock, also highlighting Reynolds's "soulful" voice and inclusion of Dobro in the arrangements.
[2] While the band's repertoire included relatively few original songs, Remz highlighted Reynolds's composition "Jar of Clay", noting that its lyrics about death showcased Pinmonkey's bluegrass influences.