"some people change" was montgomery gentry's lowest-selling album at the time. joe galante, then-president of sony music nashville, thought that the album's poor sales were because it "strayed musically from what the base had been. they have an edge to their sound, and i think we got a little too soft." kelefa sanneh of "the new york times" gave a mixed review, saying that it was more "touchy-feely" than "you do your thing", and that "no one works a snarling country chorus like montgomery gentry". chris willman of "entertainment weekly" gave the album a "c", criticizing the duo for the contradictory viewpoints of personal changes on the title track versus the "defense of the american right to piss off your neighbors" in "what do ya think about that". jurek comparatively called it a "masterpiece" and said that it was "a new pinnacle for the duo", calling the title track "one of those tunes that defines something that lies at the heart of what is good about americans."