Under the heading "Transcendental Mediocrity", Jim Miller of "Rolling Stone" called "Dark Horse" a "disastrous album" to match the "disastrous tour", and a "shoddy piece of work". According to Miller, the musicians were "merely competent studio pros" and Harrison's guitar playing was "rudimentary". "Rolling Stone"s reviewer described "Dark Horse" as a "chronicle of a performer out of his element, working to a deadline, enfeebling his overtaxed talents by a rush to deliver new 'LP product'", and stated: "In plain point of fact, George Harrison has never been a great artist ... the question becomes whether he will ever again become a competent entertainer." The "NME"s Bob Woffinden derided Harrison's songwriting, production and vocals, particularly on two tracks dealing with his troubled personal life, "Simply Shady" and "So Sad". Woffinden concluded: "I find "Dark Horse" the product of a complete egoist – no one, you see, is in "my" tree – someone whose universe is confined to himself. And his guru ... I'll repeat that this album is totally colourless. Just stuff and nonsense."