American Babylon

The album was produced by Springsteen, who also cowrote "Homestead" and "Dark and Bloody Ground"; Grushecky and Rick Witkowski also contributed.[6][7][8] It was recorded at Springsteen's Los Angeles home studio over a period of 18 months.[9][10] Springsteen played on the album, and Patti Scialfa sang on "Comin' Down Maria".[11]

The songs Grushecky wrote were less personal than those on his previous album, End of the Century, and more about universal themes and the state of America.[12] The album cover photos were shot by Pamela Springsteen.[13]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
Chicago Sun-Times	[15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[16]
Los Angeles Times	[17]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[8]
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette	[18]
The Republican	[19]

Rolling Stone praised Grushecky's "fine line in juke-blues hooks and a spare way with words."[20] The Los Angeles Times wrote that "the Darkness on the Edge of Town aura is inescapable, though Grushecky's limited writing and gravel-gargle voice rarely transcend journeyman status."[17] The Republican concluded that "Grushecky is a cool rockin' daddy in his own right, not a great vocalist, but strong enough to blend upper octave smoothness on 'Chain Smokin'."[19]

The New York Times stated: "For Mr. Grushecky's new songs, the Houserockers have turned into a western auxiliary of the E Street Band. Often, the first verse uses a basic guitar strum and a light drumbeat; the full band kicks in on the second verse, arriving like a rescue team to turn the humdrum into the heroic."[21] Stereo Review thought that "Grushecky's cigarette-rasp voice falls somewhere between that of Southside Johnny and Willy DeVille ... his plainspoken delivery is set off by stark, skeletal arrangements."[22] The Chicago Sun-Times called "No Strings Attached" "Grushecky's best anthem since the glory days of his Iron City Houserockers."[15]

AllMusic wrote that "there are plenty of songs outlining love gone wrong and the struggles of common folk, all delivered in Grushecky's warm, well-worn voice over a barroom mixture of blues-based traditional rock."[14]