Save for the string arrangements, and a guitar overdub by Alain Johannes on the track "Miracle Medicine", Falkner performs every instrument on the album.

Before the recording of Presents Author Unknown, Falkner was the lead guitarist for the San Francisco-based power pop band, Jellyfish.

Due to Falkner's previous experiences with bands and his desire to have complete control of his music, he plays nearly all of the instruments on his debut album.

Greenwald called the track “one of his finest, hook-laden rockers” and “one of the great pop moments of the 1990s.”[7] After the tracks “Miracle Medicine” and “Hectified”, the album continues with the song “Don’t Show Me Heaven” that has been described as using “a comfortable, mid-tempo, power pop melodic base” and “an almost tribal, psychedelic rhythm and series of hooks” to create “an ominous atmosphere that is inescapable.” The song utilizes “ambient sounds, some classical piano flourishes, and an almost Pete Townshend-inspired chord progression” which creates what has been described as “a monolith of sound”.

Mindy Labernz of The Austin Chronicle described the album as "melodious, harmony-laden, and sumptuously produced."

"[11] Brad Webber of the Chicago Tribune, states that Presents Author Unknown "harks to the days when albums were packed with great songs rather than one hit and filler."

"[13] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Tim Sendra wrote, “Writing, producing, singing, and playing nearly everything except the occasional guitar overdub (and strings), Jason has released a one-man pop tour de force.

[1] In an article for The Guardian, Michael Hann argued that the album’s lack of success was due to the fact that Falkner was “...too pretty to be a proper rocker, too tough to be pop, too eccentric for the jocks, too straightforward for the arty people.”[18] After an attempt to be dropped by the label, Falkner was convinced to stay.