Performing Songwriter has Hello Cruel World ranked #2 on its Best of 2012 list. “Gretchen Peters is one of the finest songwriters of any genre, and that fact is on full display on Hello Cruel World. There’s not a wasted word or missed note, and the visuals she paints lyrically and melodically are astounding. With hits for artists like Trisha Yearwood (“On A Bus To St. Cloud”) and Martina McBride (“Independence Day”) to her credit, it’s in her own voice where you’ll find the true, beating heart of her songs.”

And Country Universe lists the album at #27 on its Top Albums of 2012. “Dense, poetic, and uninhibited, modern songwriting legend Gretchen Peters turns her inner emotions outward on this deeply absorbing set, ripe with clever yet accessible metaphors (“St. Francis,” “Paradise Found,” “Natural Disaster”) and intriguing character sketches (“Camille,” “Five Minutes”).  Her songwriting chops are formidable enough, but she also brings the goods as a singer with lived-in performances that are layered, expressive, and authoritative.”