Robin Smith of Record Mirror panned the album in a 1/5 star review, calling it "the biggest load of hackneyed bollocks I've heard for a good six months."[2] In The Boston Phoenix, Barry Hoberman wrote that "This the Way has a patchy, hastily assembled feel to it." Still, he felt that "it comes as no surprise that this new album doesn't approach the lofty standard set by Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere - though it’s by no means a dire record."[3] Michael B. Smith, in a retrospective review for AllMusic, wrote that the band "pay due homage to Ronnie Van Zandt [sic] with the songs 'Tashauna' and 'Pine Box', and rock with the best of 'em on 'Gotta Get It Straight' and "Gonna Miss It When It's Gone'."[1]