Take It Like a Man was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 83, based on ten reviews.[5]
Chris Nelson of Mojo gave the album four out of five stars, resuming: "intense. But the much tougher stuff here is emotional".[7] Jenessa Williams of The Guardian praised the album, saying "it's rousing stuff, and with indie-pop producer Lawrence Rothman on hand, her vivid, intentionally raw fiddle-playing is balanced well with expressions of her softer side, seemingly taking inspiration from peers who are blazing trails beyond country's traditional bounds".[1] Writing for Uncut, Lisa Marie Ferla called the album "a bold re-statement of artistic identity".[3] Eric R. Danton of Paste wrote: "for all her strong feelings on Take It Like a Man, Shires remains a poet at heart. If her lyrics here are often forceful, they're also always evocative and sometimes even elegant, whether she's revisiting her fondness for bird imagery or seeking the thrill that accompanies a new relationship".[8]Rolling Stone reviewer found the album "expand[s] her folk-based sound, mixing Radiohead-style atmospherics, Seventies pop melodies and even a splash of soul".[2]
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