Polkas for a Gloomy World

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[6]

The Washington Post wrote that the album "proves the polka can be every bit as invigorating as a Cajun two-step, another dance music rescued from wedding-reception hell."^[12] The Chicago Tribune stated that Brave Combo "plays Polish polkas and waltzes, German polkas, Czech drinking songs and conjunto and tejano tunes, or 'Mexican polkas'... With the exception of the waltzes, the music careens at breakneck speed."^[13]

The Sunday News determined that the album breaks down "snob barriers with a feel-good feast for the ears and feet."^[14] The Omaha World-Herald deemed it "a tasty mix of polka, country and blues—all with a hard-rock attitude."^[15] The Post-Tribune concluded that Polkas for a Gloomy World is "upbeat and silly—but really, you only need one Brave Combo album in your collection for novelty's sake."^[16] The Columbus Dispatch labeled it "a typical exotic mix of polka, norteno and tejano music"; the paper later named it one of the best albums of the year.^[17][18]

AllMusic called the album "a collection that finds the meeting place between Eastern Europe and the Tejano brand of accordion demolition music."^[10]