Sawdust in My Veins

In a 1998 interview with Teletext, Grant said in response to the suggestion that the album is full of "melancholy ballads", "I don't mean to be miserable; it's just how the songs come out really. I didn't plan them that way. It's more a stream of consciousness, I suppose."^[6]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[8]
Q	[9]

On its release, Stuart Maconie, writing for Q, stated that "lovers of craft will delight in this, with its elegant memories, and seductive chord changes". He praised the "excellent arrangements" of Grant's "splendid voice and guitar" in front of "subtle strings and unobtrusive backing". He concluded, "Grant's pop star chances may have evaporated, but it's a callous world if that blinds us to these fine songs."^[9] James McNair of Mojo felt the album showed Grant's songwriting "at its zenith", adding that his "Scott Walker-deep voice [has] matured to perfection and his guitar playing as tasteful as ever". He felt the production was "a little dated in places", but added that fans of Grant's previous work will "love this record".^[10]

Tom Ferguson of Music & Media felt Grant had "finally made the album his admirers always believed he was capable of" and praised it as an "impeccably played and sung set". He felt some of the album was reminiscent of "the silky Steely Dan-isms" of Love and Money, but added that "Grant's first solo outing is a more personal, mature work". He added that many of the tracks "wouldn't sound out of place on AC-leaning radio formats".^[2] Colin Larkin, in his Encyclopedia of Popular Music, praised it as a "strong solo set".^[8]