Tom Moon, for The Philadelphia Inquirer, described Coverdale as a "raspy, bad-boy Robert Plant wannabe", who "lacks a shred individuality". Robert Philpot of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin felt that "sometimes [Coverdale's] screams eerily recall Plant", while other times he ends up sounding hoarse. Philpot described the record as "either a Whitesnake album with a really good guitar player, or a Led Zeppelin album with a really heavy-handed vocalist". L. Kent Wolgamott of the Lincoln Journal Star felt similarly, stating that the record "sounds like a good album from Whitesnake", but "Led Zeppelin it certainly is not". Retrospective reviews have leaned slightly more positive. Music journalist Mick Wall declared Coverdale–Page "one of the best albums of both [Coverdale and Page's] respective careers", while AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine concluded his review by stating: "Coverdale–Page boils down to a guilty pleasure at its best moments, but never quite rivals the bold experimentation of Led Zeppelin." Neil Jeffries, in a piece for Classic Rock, ranked Coverdale–Page thirteenth in Coverdale's overall studio discography, concluding that the singer sounds "unsure whether to impersonate Robert Plant or be himself". He also noted that while the album sold well, "the partnership didn't last and we should probably be grateful for that". Ultimate Classic Rock included "Pride and Joy" on their list of Coverdale's top 10 songs. They also ranked it, along with "Easy Does It", among their top 10 Page songs released after his work with Led Zeppelin. The collaboration between Coverdale and Page also drew some negative comments from Plant. While Plant commented positively on Page's playing, he was critical of the pairing, stating: "I found it difficult to understand [Page's] choice of bedfellow. I just could not get it." Even before collaborating with Page, Coverdale had been accused of copying Plant, who had reportedly referred to him in interviews as "David Cover-version". Page called Plant's negative comments "short-sighted", while Coverdale described them as a "stab in the back", having considered Plant a friend in the past. Regarding the negative comparisons to Led Zeppelin and Whitesnake, Coverdale stated: "Comparisons are inevitable. You have David Coverdale and Jimmy Page working together, then there are bound to be similarities to former works, because that's who we are." Legacy Despite their project's short lifespan, both Coverdale and Page have reflected positively on the experience. Assessing the collaboration in retrospect, Page stated: "There was no [bullshit] in any respect or in how