critical reception of the album was positive overall. robin denselow of "the guardian" awarded the album four of five stars and wrote that wainwright's performance sounded as "easy-going and spontaneous" and it does at his live concerts. denselow considered "house" to be the album's best track. "the daily telegraph" colin irwin described the album as "oddly uplifting" despite its "variants on the theme that we're all doomed" from the economic crisis. "the observer" contributor neil spencer wrote that "while [wainwright's] tone becomes shrill at times, his mix of nihilism and jauntiness (with ukulele) are finally uplifting." music journalist andy gill of "the independent" recommended the tracks "house", "fear itself " and "the panic is on". simmy richman's review for "the independent" complimented wainwright's ability to address current issues "simply and effectively", claiming "wainwright can make you laugh, nod in agreement, shake your fist in despair and want to sing along". richman appreciated wainwright's honesty and humor and wrote that he displayed "better lyrical form than he has been in for some time". "the independent" included "10 songs" on their "indy choice: best of the new music" list for the week of july 16, 2010. popmatters' alex ramon preferred wainwright's album "social studies" (1999), but considered "10 songs" to be "an enjoyable effort nonetheless", complimenting it for its simple approach. furthermore, ramon wrote that the album "succeeds in getting you smiling rather than despairing at the mess we're in, and that's always been one of wainwright's great gifts".