With this album, Walsh moved away from the hard rock sound of the James Gang, with Barnstorm exploring a more folk-based, acoustic sound, influenced by such artists as James Taylor and Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

[2] Taking a cue from The Who's guitarist Pete Townshend, Walsh utilized the ARP Odyssey synthesizer on such songs as "Mother Says" and "Here We Go.

Writing for AllMusic, critic Thom Jurek called the track "Birdcall Morning" a masterpiece and one of the greatest rock and roll love songs of the early 1970s.

In his review, he wrote of the album "While it's true that Walsh established himself as a late-'60s/early-'70s guitar hero on the Gang's more boogie-oriented rock numbers, it's Walsh's love of lushly textured production and spacey, open-ended songs featuring both acoustic and electric guitars that is showcased here on this wildly adventurous and forgotten unqualified masterpiece... Walsh tips the scales one more time back to the mysterious in the acoustic guitar and harmonica moment "Comin' Down."

And it just whispers to a close, leaving the listener literally stunned at what has just transpired in the space of 35 minutes.