 David Bauder of Associated Press said that Armatrading "has never played better guitar on record".The "Aspen Times" drew attention to the album's "yearning, grit and pain" and praised the "smooth and sultry" feel of the songs.Dave Gil de Rubio, writing in the "East Bay Express" in California stated that Armatrading "puts a fresh stamp on a classic American genre" and that her guitar playing "rings with a Mark Knopfler-like resonance", praising her "rich and burnished voice".