dʒˈɑːn pˈɛɹlz ʌvðə nˈuː jˈɔːɹk tˈaɪmz dᵻskɹˈaɪbd hˌɪm æz "ɐ tˈiːn ˈaɪdəl sˈɪŋɪŋ dˈeɪvɪd bˈoʊistˈaɪl ɹˈɑːk dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə jˈɪɹz hiː wʌz pɹəmˈoʊɾᵻd baɪ ˌɛmtˌiːvˈiː".
Jon Pareles of the New York Times described him as "a teen idol singing David Bowie-style rock during the years he was promoted by MTV".