"[1] The title track and "Rainbow Power" both discuss what Thomas described as race relations "getting out of hand," wishing to come up with songs "which would make people think again.

[5] In a contemporary review of Why Can't We Live Together, a writer for the Acton Gazette described Thomas as "the new soul super-star" and hailed the "unforgettable", hypnotic hit single, but felt that the album becomes monotonous and samey due to Thomas' "obsessive use of his magic organ, with its built-in rhythm section," feeling it exposed the musician's "limited talents."

"[7] Russell Gersten of Rolling Stone was more harsh, describing the album as "a piece of junk" and commenting: "Thirty minutes of listening to a hack organist and a metronome playing basically the same song in eight variations is one of the most abrasive experiences I've undergone in months.

"[1] A retrospective article by Joseph Neff of The Vinyl District describes Why Can't We Live Together as "a pretty strong and rather underrated LP," writing that "the spare aura and the sound of that drum machine actually manage to conjure the sound of post-punk," highlighting the intro of "Funky Me" in particular for resembling Manchester post-punk, while feeling "the way the rhythms and the organ intertwine throughout the LP can give off hints of Yo La Tengo circa And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out.

"[4] Reinforcing past criticisms, Andrew Hamilton of AllMusic describes the majority of album as "almost as sparse" as "Why Can't We Live Together," which he describes as "the cheapest Top Ten hit ever made," but criticises the album for being "forgettable" outside its title track, noting: "If you like a lot of production, you won't find it here.