Malu Halasa, reviewer of British music newspaper Record Mirror, called Vernon Reid a "reputed virtuoso in the axe licks department" and described "Open Letter" as "practically atonal with not a pop melody in sight".[6] Ian Gittins of Melody Maker expressed similar opinion on the single. As per him, "Living Colour also deserve far more applause than they've often had in these pages". But a critic thought that the musicians were too straight and wished for them to "have some more fun".[7]