The Gift (Joe Louis Walker album)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
Robert Christgau	A−[12]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide	[13]
Oakland Tribune	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[14]

The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote that "Walker's music swings with a smooth rhythm that lends itself well to his polished vocals and linear guitar solos."^[15] The Washington Post called the album "a taut, funky record steeped in '60s soul and highlighted by some stirring vocals that occasionally recall Otis Redding."^[16] Robert Christgau said that, "like they say, he just plays the blues... Yet between sharp tempos and worldly-wise material, he overcomes the boredom factor built into that time-worn endeavor."^[12]

The Chicago Tribune labeled Walker "an impressive lyric writer [who] has created wry and wise songs gloriously free of the usual blues cliches."^[17] The Globe and Mail determined that Walker's "a tad more traditional (and less guilt-ridden) in his approach to the blues (and life) than Cray, and he's got a nice tough edge to his playing that the yuppified Cray sometimes lacks."^[18] The San Francisco Examiner praised the "sleek production and depth of feeling."^[5]

AllMusic wrote that the album "just may be his finest album of all, filled with soulful vocal performances, bone-cutting guitar work, and tight backing."^[11]