[1] Michael B. Smith from AllMusic said "With Under the Spell, Australian guitarist Dave Hole and his veteran backup band manage to lasso in all of the energy from their live concerts, while under the roof of a usually antiseptic recording studio environment...

Under the Spell combines excellent acoustic foundations, topped with blistering slide work and power-soaked vocals, to provide one of the finest blues albums of the year.

The CD should be required listening for all fans and students of the slide guitar, as well as connoisseurs of the blues in general.

"[2] Billboard (magazine) wrote "Slide guitar fanatics will have their brains blown out by this Australian fret-melter ...

Remarkably inventive, technically unusual overhand slide work that separates him from the common pack of Elmore James worshippers ... prepare to hear your jaw hitting the floor.