Trouser Press stated that "Zellar has a grit-strewn voice with a mannered catch better suited to the harsh honesty of his lyrics than the placid curves of his melodies."[10] The Chicago Reader wrote that the album's "not the sort of recording that's going to perk up your next party, but it is exactly what a lot of people say there isn't much of these days: adult, smart, perceptive, and emotionally genuine rock music."[15] The Milwaukee Journal determined that "Zellar's nasal, angular voice is a ragged standout here against all manner of plaintive backing, from lonesome guitar pings and mournful cello drones to swoopy organ fills."[16]
Stereo Review deemed Born Under "as moving a piece of confessional pop as you're likely to see these days, a tuneful, lovely-on-the-surface song cycle of reflective country-rock musings that only barely conceal some rather world-class emotional turmoil beneath."[17] The Santa Fe New Mexican noted that on some songs Zellar "sings in the voice of a drunken lout, albeit a drunken lout with a conscience that is only slightly weaker than the demons who hold him down."[18] The Los Angeles Times declared that Zellar "writes blue-collar tales about hard times and hard lessons that are reminiscent of the eloquence of the Blasters in their prime."[19]
AllMusic panned Zellar's vocals, but also wrote that "twangy roadhouse rock alternates with unabashed honky-tonk balladry, and real-life working class concerns dominate the lyrics."[13]
