Sam Gazdziak, of Engine145, reviewed the album and gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five. Gazdziak praised the album for its custom sound, along with each songwriter and guest vocalists. He described the album as "slow", noting that Bridges "growls" through the slower songs. Gazdziak also noted that "Tumbling Vine" and "Falling Short", songs Bridges wrote himself, are nicely sung and arranged, though they tend to be a little too dense and esoteric.

Spin

Spin (magazine)

Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

 gave the album a score or 5/10, writing, "Bridges' country-fried drawl gets wonky (see the shuffling 'Blue Car'), but when the pieces come together -- as on laid-back, folksy charmers like 'Everything but Love' and 'Maybe I Missed the Point' -- the result is as comfortable and unpretentious as the Dude's bathrobe."

Taste of Country reviewer Billy Dukes gave the album a one-and-half out of five-star rating. Dukes criticized the album for being too slow, and compared the album to teenagers at a bowling alley playing a game. Dukes closed his review by saying that "if [Bridges] wants his music career to take off, [Bridges] may be wise to ask Bad Blake, Bridges' character in Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart is a 2009 American musical-drama film, written and directed by Scott Cooper and based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb. Jeff Bridges plays a down-and-out country music singer-songwriter who tries to turn his life around after beginning a relationship with a young...

, how he'd sing these songs."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...

, of Allmusic, rated the album two-and-a-half stars out of five. He criticized T-Bone Burnett for making the album "artificially authentic" and "drowsy Americana mythology". He also said that Bridges is trying to be cool, and that the production of the album resembled a "shuffling snail".

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

gave the album three stars out of five. Reviewer Will Hermes pointed out that "What a Little Bit of Love Can Do" is the highlight of the album. Hermes also praised Bridges' leathery voice, which makes the music sound "lived-in".

Track listing

Chart performance

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	25
US Billboard Top Country Albums	10
US Billboard Top Folk Albums	2
US Billboard Top Rock Albums	5