Phone Orphans

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Mojo	[4]
PopMatters	7/10[5]
Slant Magazine	[2]
Uncut	8/10[6]

Phone Orphans received a score of 79 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.^[1] Uncut felt that "standouts such as 'Rocks of Time' and 'Next One, Maybe' have all the depth, richness and candour that Veirs' admirers have come to expect",^[6] while Mojo remarked that the tracks are "spare but complete, as rich as old letters or photographs".^[4] PopMatters' Steve Horowitz stated that the album "works because of its roughness" as "Veirs offers her direct sensibility as a way to address her ignorance. She doesn't know the meaning of life any more than the rest of us. She has given the question serious thought and created art from the possibilities by singing, playing, and recording over the telephone late at night".^[5] Eric Mason of Slant Magazine opined that Phone Orphans' "acoustic arrangements, which consist mostly of guitar and conversational vocals, are delicate and bright, but its sparse instrumentation makes Veirs's preoccupation with death all the more unavoidable".^[2]