Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Blogcritics | (Positive) |
| Consequence of Sound | |
| The Dallas Morning News | (B) |
| The Globe and Mail | |
| Metro Canada | |
| Sputnikmusic | |
| The Washington Post | (Positive) |
| Winnipeg Free Press | |
The album received mainly positive reviews upon its release. Matt Melis of Consequence of Sound gave the album 3½ out of 5 stars and commented on the extremely upbeat nature of the album stating that "it’s hard to believe this is the same man who wrote songs like At My Funeral and The Unforgiven Ones". Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News gave the album a "B" and praised the album's use of toy instruments as ingenious. Brad Wheeler of The Globe and Mail gave the album 2½ out of 4 stars describing the album as "all good fun, except for the skedaddling country-swing of What I’m Famous For, where Roberts shows off the worst John Wayne imitation ever." Catherine P. Lewis of The Washington Post says that "Oooh La La! is not likely to add a second hit to the Dummies' legacy, but this quirky instrumentation certainly makes for a group that's enjoying itself." Jill Wilson of the Winnipeg Free Press gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and says that while the use of the Optigan is as gimmicky as it sounds, "fans of the band's early work may appreciate its offbeat qualities, not to mention Roberts' knack for appealing melodies and the album's orchestral feel." However, she also make a criticism that "Roberts too often pushes that mannered baritone of his into forced lows, as on the otherwise lovely '30s-tinged Not Today Baby, which is reduced to novelty status by his vocal mugging"
However, the album also received some poor reviews. Graham Rockingham of Metro Canada gave the album 2½ out of 5 stars and, while he appreciated gentle folk rockers like Songbird, he states that "the project quickly goes off course as the Dummies try to adapt their trademark sound to something approaching retro riverboat cabaret." Mike Allen, reviewing for Sputnikmusic, also gave the album 2½ out of 5 stars and states that "after getting past the ideal that Roberts brings a certain distinction to the music, his vocals grow tired." He specifically criticizes the songs What I'm Famous For and Now You See Her as examples of how disjointed the album is, with a lack of cohesiveness. However, he does praise Ellen Reid's contributions to the album, especially on Heart of Stone and Put a Face.
Read more about this topic: Oooh La La!
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