"Fly is one of those albums that continues to build throughout and gets noticeably better to the ear after each listen. Upon first listen, I felt that the opening number “Hard Winter” got it off to a rather slow start. After just a few listens however, I would quickly take back that ridiculous notion. The song sets the tone and only raises the bar for what is to come. At about the minute-and-a-half mark Kelly’s voice begins to rise gracefully, leading the band into great heights of toe-tapping drums and twangy, blues-infused guitar licks, followed by Mitchell’s moving fiddle and the sweet harmonies from the trio of backing singers. It leaves you feeling anxious. As a band primarily rooted in country music, Fly actually takes on sounds that would appeal to a wide range of music fans of all styles and ages. Much of the album is filled with upbeat country rockers, but you’ll find that Thomas and the Pickups manage to squeeze in all types of styles in each song ranging from Americana to blues to folk to pop and to Soul." -Nate Rosing, brokenmic.com 10/2011 <#> "Thomas lets loose with a searing emotional journey right from the first track on “Hard Winter,” a foreboding slow-burn epic. It’s followed by the title cut, perhaps expressing the album’s theme, “I want to fly high above my fears.” There are broken relationships of bands and boyfriends, loved ones lost to drugs, and the wrongs that friends inexplicably do to do friends. Thomas admits to “picking some scabs” to find the emotional honesty." -Rick Bird, Cincinnati Enquirer 12/4/2011