Ace in the Hole (album)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Robert Christgau	[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[13]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[7]

The Christian Science Monitor wrote that Bishop's "tongue-in-cheek lyrics and country stylings are enlivened by his blistering guitar work."^[14] Robert Christgau praised "Another Mule Kickin' in Your Stall".^[11] The Chicago Tribune deemed the album "typically irreverent, distinctive blues-rock."^[15] The Columbus Dispatch stated that it "features hilarious talkin' tales in the jump blues tradition, especially the New Orleans jazz-flavored 'Fishin''."^[16]

The Vancouver Sun determined that "Ace in the Hole is a reminder the blues aren't just for melancholics."^[6] The Washington Post wrote: "When Bishop gives a sermon on the distribution of wealth in his own 'Give Me Some of That Money' or on the faithfulness of the married in Dave Bartholomew's 'Another Mule Kickin' in Your Stall', his droll delivery provides the perfect counterpoint to the sparkling playing by the guitarist and his top-notch road band."^[8] The Press of Atlantic City called the album "a blues masterwork."^[17]