Steve Huey of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, calling it "[a] thoroughly excellent debut."[1] He said, "Diverse's greatest strength as a rapper is his flow, as he spins a dense web of painstakingly constructed language over the beats as though he were spreading soft butter on toast."[1]
Gabe Gloden of Stylus Magazine gave the album a grade of A−, saying: "There's not one dud to be found on One A.M., and at a lean 42 minutes, Diverse deserves at least that much of your time."[6] Noel Dix of Exclaim! said: "Along with Vast Aire of Cannibal Ox and the mighty Jean Grae, there is simply far too much talent on this effort to go unnoticed."[3]