Upon its release, Rob Beattie of Q described Red Sky as "an album far more substantial than could have been expected". He added: "At 75 minutes there are still a few horrors, but there's also plenty of the fine, observational balladry for which he made his name. The result is McTell's best record for 25 years."[4] In 2005, Helen Wright of musicOMH considered Red Sky "a lovely album for quiet listening". She wrote: "The tracks on Red Sky span a wider spectrum than the very English folk-rock sound that marked his early career, but the songs reflecting that heritage are the most successful. The excursions into other styles are sometimes triumphant, sometimes best not mentioned."[5]