 Puterbaugh summarized "Sparkle in the Rain" as "Roxy Music-gone-2001".A review in the "College Music Journal" complimented how Lillywhite's production gave the band "a grand sound to match their lyrical ambitions", drawing comparisons with the sounds of bands such as U2 and Big Country and how "it helps Simple Minds sound more cohesive...the words and music forming a complete whole rather than two antagonistic elements as in the past.