Buckingham sought to forgo the more ornate elements on his previous albums in favor of orienting compositions around vocals and a single guitar.

[9] "Down on Rodeo", which was written about Buckingham's brief relationship with Anne Heche,[10] and "Someone's Gotta Change Your Mind" are the only two songs on the record with contributions from outside musicians.

Those two songs were originally recorded ten years prior at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood and were considered for Fleetwood Mac's Say You Will album in 2003.

[1] AllMusic writer Thom Jurek noted how several songs felt autobiographical and described the album as "the most nakedly visible and tender recording he's ever dropped.

[14] Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone thought that Buckingham achieved "maximum effect from minimal arrangements" and said that "Down on Rodeo" resembled a "lost Fleetwood Mac hit.