[1][2][3][4] In a review for AllMusic, Steve Loewy wrote: "This is energetic music of the highest order, a fitting memorial to one the unsung jazz legends who could sing on his horn with the best of them, but who never entirely received his due during his lifetime.

"[1] The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings called the album "an unhappy affair... at moments barely coherent," and stated: "it weaves awkwardly between intense insight... and a prosy banality.

"[5] A reviewer for All About Jazz commented: "Playing melodic or howling freely, Spearman spans the emotional spectrum from quiet contemplation to uneasy tension to all-out screaming release.

Fans of Frank Wright, Albert Ayler, or Jimmy Lyons should grab this record to hear one of the greatest exponents of this tradition.

"[6] Author Phil Freeman remarked: "Spearman is in full voice throughout, bellowing when he wants to, murmuring at other times, but never aiming for a note he's unable to reach.