[5][6] Produced by Bob Greenlee, the album was recorded at King Snake Studios, in Florida.

[12] The Gazette wrote that "Rhodes plays most of his leads on a lap steel guitar, an instrument much more common in country music...

"[13] The Star Tribune said that "Rhodes can deliver a big, tender ballad just as well as a funky bar shuffle.

"[7] The Times Colonist opined that "it's the best work in the musician's long recording career, but it only hints at the power of Sonny Rhodes's live show.

"[16] The Asbury Park Press listed Blue Diamond as the seventh best blues album of 1999, writing that Rhodes "showcases his masterful lyrical ideas and backs it up with blistering guitar playing and intricate lap steel treatments.