“If music is truly a healing force, MacDowell is its epitome. "Leaving Home," her second album, is a massive project...MacDowell has a gift for melodic, sing-along type songs and the musicians punctuate in just the right places...“In the Dark” has a somewhat gloomier instrumental backdrop but MacDowell’s lyrics take the higher road, encouraging us how to get out of the bleak state of mind. “All Those Things” seems to owe to her bluegrass Virginia roots while the standout “Midnight Hour” begins as a soft-spoken ballad revealing her pure, well-articulated vocals which build in power through some stunning sequences featuring the string section...She shows us both her serious side and also brings out a funnier, tongue-in-cheek approach to “Cruel Woman.” The horn-infused title track, filled with rollicking licks, speaks about leaving for Nashville, not Key West, but MacDowell is likely singing metaphorically about leaving her past behind....Juliana comes across as a naturally gifted singer...this is a well-conceived, impeccably rendered project, as evidenced in part by the high profile stature of some of these backing musicians, but mostly through MacDowell’s animated, enthusiastic delivery. ” - Jim Hynes
“Juliana MacDowell offers a sunny set from Key West... Juliana MacDowell recorded much of her new album in Key West, Florida, where she lives part of the year, far from the music biz’s biggest stages “Leaving Home” makes her talent hard to miss, however. MacDowell's second album, and the first for the new indie label Conch Town Music, is as sunny as the Keys and a melodious showcase for her fine singing and songwriting. "Leaving Home” grabs the ear and invites a smile right out of the gate with the opener “I Like,” which — as elsewhere — benefits from Matt Backer's inventive guitar work. Horns propel the title cut, a voyage of discovery that leads MacDowell to a happy ending. And the piano-and-strings ballad “Midnight Hour” offers a reminder that life isn't all beautiful sunsets, even in Key West. On the fiddle waltz “Two Kinds of People,” MacDowell sings, “I deserve to be heard.” She's absolutely right.” - Steve Wine, Associated Press
— ABC News