“The Hooters took a huge risk when it came time for their second album. One Way Home took a major stylistic leap away from the edgy new wave hybrids on their multi-platinum Nervous Night, forsaking what gave them MTV hits for a more rootsy sound. Mandolins and accordions added a tenor to the songs more on line with John Mellemcamp or Don Henley than the almost punky feeling of the debut” (Brough).

“Eric Brazillan and Rob Hyman were stretching themselves as songwriters, even if the commercial rewards weren’t as immediate” (Brough). “One Way Home is a striking album because of that” (Brough).

“Satellite, was a semi-political rant about televangelists” (Brough) whose sound “well represents the album tinged with good-ol' American traditional music” (susumu-5).

“Karla with a K had Celtic undertones that made it a real standout, and Graveyard Waltz is written in 6/8 time” (Brough). The latter is a “well-structured, dynamic and melancholic masterpiece track which requires repeated listens” (susumu-5).

Fightin’ on the Same Side, which was first featured on 1983’s Amore, “in constrast, is upbeat one though themed with Civil War era America” (susumu-5).

“Should you be looking for songs more reflective of that initial fizzy pop explosion of the debut will find it on Hard Rocking Summer and Engine 999” (Brough). The former “is somewhat similar in style to John Cafferty, hard-crunching rock song” (susumu-5) while the latter is a “pure pop song extension of their debut album” (susumu-5).

“What they did, though, was add some grit to the slickness, and The Hooters were ahead of the curve on One Way Home” (Brough).