The album has been noted as one of the most important musically and critically in Waits' career, in particular to the new direction which he undertook from 1983's "Swordfishtrombones" onwards. AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann wrote, ""Rain Dogs" can't surprise as "Swordfishtrombones" had." Nevertheless, Ruhlman further commented that "much of the music matches the earlier album, and there is so much of it that that is enough to qualify "Rain Dogs" as one of Waits' better albums." Music critic Robert Christgau stated that Waits "worked out a unique and identifiable lounge-lizard sound that suits his status as the poet of America's non-nine-to-fivers."