[8] The USA Today's Brian Mansfield gave the album a perfect rating of four stars, stating that on the album, Church "steps far outside country music's safety zone" saying that "[i]t's adventurous and outrageous, full of metallic guitars and funky country skronk but also expresses vulnerability and pain.

"[18] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album a rating of three-and-a-half out of five stars, writing that "[even] if he doesn't quite knock it out of the park when he swings for the fences, he nevertheless scores.

"[9] At The Oakland Press, Gary Graff gave the album a two-and-a-half out of four star rating, saying that "It's 50 minutes of unapologetic daring that gets messy at times, but it's hard not to give Church big props for keeping his gaze forward.

"[15] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe gave a positive review, telling that "The reckoning continues on the superb follow-up 'The Outsiders'.

[20] Jody Rosen states that "Church's new album, The Outsiders, is, in keeping with the pattern, his best yet; it's also his most blustery, with the guitars and the outlaw swagger turned up, as the poet said, to eleven.

"[21] Joseph Hudak of Country Weekly gave the album an A grade, saying that "[with] the terrifyingly creative The Outsiders [album], Eric Church pulls off what so many before him have tried: successfully merging the bedrock sounds of country music (plinking banjo, crying Dobro and a Hank Williams twang) with those of seemingly disparate genres like rock, heavy metal and especially R&B to create an utterly unique product.

"[11] At Entertainment Weekly, Nick Catucci also grade the album an A, writing that "As with all of The Outsiders' thrills, it's both thumpingly obvious and exquisitely executed.

"[12] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday graded the album a B+, stating that "Church consciously tries to move outside the mainstream again, looking to be more artistic.

"[10] At Spin, Michael Robbins rated the album a nine out of ten, commenting that "mostly, this is the kind of record critics imagine Kanye keeps making: a freakish statement of confidence and power from an artist in full command of his gifts.

"[17] PopMatters' Anthony Easton rated the album a seven out of a ten, stating that "Church is so good at the commercial that he will never be an outsider, but he also knows how well the safe outsider sells," and that the album is "not nearly as dangerous as he thinks it is," while concluding, "This might be cynicism, but pop music is as much about the sizzle as it is about the steak, and no one plays both ends against the middle as efficiently as Church.

"[23] Dan MacIntosh of Roughstock rated the album four out of five stars, writing that the release "is best appreciated with a studied examination of its insides.

"[24] At Music Is My Oxygen, Rob Burkhardt rated the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, writing that the releases "strong points far outweigh its flaws.

"[25] Tara Toro of Got Country Online rated the album a perfect five stars, indicating how "The Outsiders takes you on a musically adventurous ride from first note to last.