Robert Christgau of "The Village Voice" called it a "ponderous, well-crafted disappointment, a shorter and by most accounts lighter piece of work than its more songful corelease "Human Touch"." Bill Wyman of "The Chicago Reader" compared it favorably to "Human Touch", calling "Lucky Town" "obviously the superior work" and "a much more interesting beast, primarily because of the potency of the first three numbers could have made a respectable anchor to a strong album." However, he added that "the record's illegitimate beginnings soon take their toll, and formula returns to the fore...What themes there are on the record - a sort of Catholic wonder and love of life alternating with the usual fears and worries of the characters in Springsteen's ongoing New Jersey gothic - never come alive." Greg Kot of "The Chicago Tribune" later wrote that "Lucky Town" was "highly underrated...containing some of the strongest songwriting of Springsteen's career and ranks as one of his most completely realized albums."