In his 1985 review for "Rolling Stone", Anthony Decurtis gave the album a mixed review, writing: ""Rain Dogs" insists on nosing its way around the barrooms and back alleys Waits has so often visited before." However, in a more recent review in 2002, "Rolling Stone" critic Arion Berger praised the album, describing the music as "bony and menacingly beautiful." Berger also observed that "it's quirky near-pop, the all-pro instrumentation pushing Waits' not-so-melodic but surprisingly flexible vocals out front, where his own peculiar freak flag, his big heart and his romantic optimism gloriously fly."