The album contained three charting singles by Martell, including her cover of "Color Him Father".

In the latter half of the decade, she met William "Duke" Rayner, who believed in her potential for a career in country music.

[1] Its closing track, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", was a cover that would later be made most commercially successful by Freddy Fender.

[6] The single spent ten weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and peaked at number 22 on the list in September 1969.

[6] The song spent eight weeks on the Billboard country chart and peaked at number 33 in January 1970.

[11]Color Me Country received positive reviews from music critics and journalists following its release.

[1] David Browne of Rolling Stone called the album's production to be "lean and spunky, making her sound like the equal of Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette".

[3] A 2023 review from Lawrence Burney of Pitchfork described it as "a lovely but tragic record" on which "Martell's singing is sweet [and] mellifluous", although found that "the umph in her voice on songs with the Anglos" is not present.