states that "Church's new album, The Outsiders, is, in keeping with the pattern, his best yet; it's also his most blustery, with the guitars and the outlaw swagger turned up, as the poet said, to eleven." Joseph Hudak of Country Weekly gave the album an A grade, saying that "[with] the terrifyingly creative The Outsiders [album], Eric Church pulls off what so many before him have tried: successfully merging the bedrock sounds of country music (plinking banjo, crying Dobro and a Hank Williams twang) with those of seemingly disparate genres like rock, heavy metal and especially R&B to create an utterly unique product." At Entertainment Weekly, Nick Catucci also grade the album an A, writing that "As with all of The Outsiders thrills, it's both thumpingly obvious and exquisitely executed." Glenn Gamboa of Newsday graded the album a B+, stating that "Church consciously tries to move outside the mainstream again, looking to be more artistic." At American Songwriter, Jonathan Bernstein rated the album four stars out of five, saying that "Church gets to have it both ways on The Outsiders, writing several irresistible hits while boasting repeatedly to the press about the ten some-odd surefire number one singles he decided, alongside producer Jay Joyce, to not include on the album." Bernstein also wrote that "The Outsiders [album] is at its best when it lets the songs market themselves." At Spin, Michael Robbins rated the album a nine out of ten, commenting that "mostly, this is the kind of record critics imagine Kanye keeps making: a freakish statement of confidence and power from an artist in full command of his gifts." PopMatters' Anthony Easton rated the album a seven out of a ten, stating that "Church is so good at the commercial that he will never be an outsider, but he also knows how well the safe outsider sells," and that the album is "not nearly as dangerous as he thinks it is," while concluding, "This might be cynicism, but pop music is as much about the sizzle as it is about the steak, and no one plays both ends against the middle as efficiently as Church." At AbsolutePunk, Gregory Robson rated the album an 85-percent, calling the album a "fine step forward" that has "its weak moments, [but] there's no denying that when Church swings for the fences, he absolutely knocks it out of the park. Defiant, undaunted and brimming