In Step - Reception

Reception

Reviews for In Step have generally been positive. Robert Christgau rated the album an A-, signifying "a very good record." Although he stated that " "Wall of Denial" and "Tightrope" fall into ex-addict jargon like it was natural speech" and that "if the music was preachy or wimpy this would be a disaster," he concluded that " "House Is Rockin' " keeps on boogieing on – and that on the mood-jazz closer he escapes the blues undamaged for the first time in his career."

In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic rated In Step five out of five stars. He noted that before the album was released, "his songwriting was hit or miss. Even when he wrote a classic modern blues song, it was firmly within the genre's conventions." He further stated that it helped " Vaughan found his own songwriting voice, blending blues, soul, and rock in unique ways, and writing with startling emotional honesty." Although he stated that "tunes like the terse "Tightrope" and the dense "Wall of Denial" feel so intensely personal, it's hard to believe that they weren't the product of just one man", he also stated that "the lighter numbers are just as effective as songs." He concluded that "it's fully realized, presenting every facet of Vaughan's musical personality, yet it still soars with a sense of discovery. It's a bittersweet triumph, given Vaughan's tragic death, yet it's a triumph all the same."