Recorded in Vancouver, the album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn.[11][12] The band once again used a chainsaw as a musical instrument.[13] Frontman Jesse James Dupree made an attempt to modify the screechiness of his vocals.[14] Photos of Dupree's handlebar mustache were initially altered by the record company.[15]
"Secret of the Bottle" is the band's version of a country ballad.[16][17] "Rock-A-Ho" employs Native American stereotypes and clichés in its lyrics.[18] "My Life" laments that classic rock radio stations don't play the music of new bands.[19]
Entertainment Weekly wrote that the band members "lack the chops to even hint at Lynyrd Skynyrd-level Dixie-boogie greatness."[24] The Dayton Daily News noted that Dupree's "grating, one-note range limits him to shrieking in tune."[25] The Deseret News opined that "Dupree has perfected his mix of former AC/DC frontman Bon Scott's growling throat with the likes of Yosemite Sam."[26]
The Knoxville News Sentinel determined that "these dumb-as-can-be songs feature easy to remember shout-along choruses, much like nursery rhymes have simple refrains so infant minds can connect."[23]The Indianapolis Star concluded that "Push Comes to Shove becomes one of those guilty pleasures that sometimes must be indulged."[22] The Ottawa Citizen deemed the album "a collection of gimmicky, foot-stomping AC/DC and Guns N' Roses riffs that are tailor-made for summertime hard-rock radio."[27]
