A Real Life Story

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
Chicago Tribune	[13]
The Cincinnati Post	[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[1]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[7]

The Washington Post wrote that "the album's failings are small but bothersome... O'Connell's affection for reflective ballads occasionally leads her to sing lightweight lyrics that convey more a sense of general moodiness than real emotion."^[11] Entertainment Weekly thought that "O'Connell proves a marvelous vocal actress."^[8] The Chicago Tribune concluded that O'Connell "combines a gorgeous, supple voice with an impeccable taste in material."^[13]

The Milwaukee Sentinel determined that, despite being an album of covers, "the result is one of the warmest and in its own way most personal albums of the young year."^[15] The St. Petersburg Times stated that "the LP's best track, Larry Tagg's 'Burning My Rowboat', [is] a light-hearted number that deals with deliberate, self-imposed isolation."^[16] The Cincinnati Post panned the "more contemporary sound," writing that "the backing is dull."^[14] Stereo Review included the album on its list of the top 36 albums of 1991.^[17]

AllMusic wrote that "the arrangements ... strike a balance between rustic simplicity and art-pop complexity without tipping too far in either direction."^[12]