Trouser Press thought that "the alternately stirring and somber Adequate Desire confronts birth, life, love and death in handsomely rounded songs that don’t pretend to possess answers to anything."[8] Robert Christgau wrote that Hall's "not just trying to pin the moment when love reveals its mystery—he's trying to make it last as he looks death in the eye."[13] Texas Monthly determined that the album "suggests a street-weary Lou Reed hanging out in the alleys of Austin with the grunge generation while secretly wishing he was hanging out with James Joyce in exile."[14] The Chicago Sun-Times noted that "there is enough searing guitar (by Hall and others) to satisfy hard-rock fans, while his organ lends a churchy feel and the door also is opened to country."[12]
The Washington Post concluded that as, "a former rock critic, Hall tends toward the simple and the wry; rather than rhapsodize about romance, he shrugs ... or admits bewilderment."[6] Newsday opined: "Singing in a plain, neighborly tenor, Hall's mild guitar-rock songs on Adequate Desire shimmer with taste, intelligence and catchy melodies."[15] The Dallas Morning News stated: "Smart without belaboring the point, Mr. Hall has produced some real gems, from the Zen inclusiveness of the rocking 'Every Little Thing' to the regretful but determined distance that drives 'My Last Letter Home'."[16]
AllMusic wrote that "the standout is 'Hello Mr. Death', which is one side of a conversation with the Grim Reaper... Hall's wry, offhand reflections on love and mortality in this piece rank with his best work."[11]
