"At times, the deliberate tempos and drawled melodies wind up underscoring Barham's debt to Bruce Springsteen, but that's where Jennings steps in, letting the rest of American Aquarium pull Lamentations from a sober singer/songwriter set into a burly, rocking Americana record. Perhaps it's a subtle shift, but the gangly gait of the band does help give Barham's bittersweet songs a welcome muscle and a pulse".