No Frills Friend was described by Mark Keresman of SF Weekly as "a gem of despondent, shimmering pop/folk/rock balladry". Keresman also wrote that it "retains her distinctively mournful, somewhat nasal warble and her gift for simple yet sturdy melodies" found on her previous albums.[7] Neil Jones of Drowned in Sound described No Frills Friend as "a vocally driven record dripping with melodic richness."[3]