[1][2][3] Allmusic reviewer Alex Henderson stated "the improvisers favor an inside/outside approach and divide their time between hard swinging post-bop and more abstract, AACM-minded avant-garde jazz.

... Thompson, true to form, insists on keeping his options open -- the trumpeter sees no reason why he cannot be influenced by Freddie Hubbard one minute and Lester Bowie the next.

He and World Saxophone Quartet alumni, Oliver Lake and Hamiet Bluiett, acquit themselves famously in this endeavor and offer a tasty plate of avant-garde music ... Talking Horns captures the essence of jazz that the best albums do: heavy, fat groovin’ that sways the body combined with incisive, intelligent improvisation that excites the mind".

[7] Mark Corroto was less impressed noting "The good news is trumpeter Malachi Thompson mixes multiple styles and approaches on his latest release.

... Thompson’s eclecticism informs us of jazz history, but that also distracts from a singular message ... His tendency to display multiple directions leaves the whole less than the sum of the musical parts".