" ... a collection of original blues numbers that feels like an unapologetic throwback to classic Chess records from the '50s and '60s. That immediacy is striking, as The Spin Doctors have never sounded so alive on record, nor have they demonstrated such muscular chops ... this is neither an homage nor mimicry: instead, they've dug into the DNA of the band and reworked it, revealing the blues band that lies at their core. The result is shockingly satisfying: The Spin Doctors have never sounded as relaxed, as loud, or as good as they do on If the River Was Whiskey".