Show and Tell features a melodic hard rock style deliberately reminiscent of the aggressive work done by groups achieving prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, examples being AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin.

[1] A commercial success, the album spawned multiple top 20 singles,[3] and it's noted for including the band's 'signature song': the strident arena rock track "Ain't Comin' Home".

Some tracks call back to the glam metal movement, with the song "California Rain" explicitly mentioning in its lyrics the Sunset Strip area of Los Angeles.

[1][2] Writing for the latter, music critic Michael Franco particularly praised the work of frontman Walt Lafty, remarking that the singer's "voice is full of nasty blue-eyed soul, strutting and tearing and shuffling at will."

"[2] Richie Unterberger, writing for Allmusic, argued that the release "doesn't boast hooks on the order" of the band's influences, labeling the album as "unexceptional".