"... after the experimentalism of 2016's Paging Mr. Proust, Back Roads and Abandoned Motels will certainly please more traditional-minded Jayhawks fans, as it often recalls the low-key pleasures of 2003's Rainy Day Music. The best songs on Back Roads and Abandoned Motels are a lovely reminder of what the Jayhawks have been doing so well for over 30 years, and if this album might make one wonder if Gary Louris is running low on songwriting ideas, he still leads a band to be reckoned with"