"[11] In agreement, Chris Buckle of The Skinny wrote that the album contains "fuller arrangements [which] at times move Rose closer to her more mainstream modern country contemporaries, not further.

"[5] musicOMH's David Muller cautioned that "Those who were endeared by Rose’s debut may be surprised, hopefully pleasantly, by the change in tone and attitude shown on The Stand-In.

"[15] To this, Benjamin Boles of Now surmised that "Most of the tracks could be singles, successfully marrying a pop sensibility to country twang without sacrificing the best aspects of either approach.

"[16] Lastly, Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter proclaimed that "With an album as consistently strong as The Stand-In at this early stage, she has an impressive career ahead.

"[4] This is because of what Rob Hughes of Uncut found with "The Stand-In has everything that made its predecessor special – big voice, expertly crafted tunes, clever backings, a deft mix of stridency and restraint – but is definitely a step up.