Listeners expecting a continuation of the Scud Mountain Boys' slow, grim {alt-country} sound will be surprised by the wholesale changes wrought on Overcome by Happiness -- Joe Pernice has gone pop, and the results are quite promising. Recorded in part with a ten-piece orchestra, the record is closer to {chamber pop} than {roots rock}, with the bright, sunny songs adorned in piano and horns; tracks like Monkey Suit and Clear Spot are instantly engaging, their sheer hummability alone suggesting not merely a radical creative reassessment but a total artistic rebirth. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide