[2][3] Proceeds from the album were directed to Tipitina's Foundation, an organization committed to preserving the musical culture and legacy of New Orleans.

[11] Robert Christgau wrote: "Calm and meditative rather than playful and ebullient, this is a record only the most congenial of rock 'n' roll legends could have created.

"[8] The New York Times stated that "the album mingles Mr. Domino's rolling New Orleans rhythm-and-blues piano and horns with touches of synthesizer or slide guitar ... His genial croon can sound close to country music.

"[12] The Advocate concluded that "the sporadic substitution of synthesizer for horn solos and string sections is the only drawback about Alive and Kickin'.

"[11] The Baltimore City Paper lamented that "there's no chemistry between the singer and the musicians, and the songs lack the rhythmic propulsion of Domino's classics," but acknowledged that the tracks "have the same infectious hooks of his early hits.