Recording for Go the Distance took place at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee between February 18 and March 20, 2001, with Jim Gaines returning as producer.

[1] Prior to the sessions, Bill Mason took over from Paul Kallestad as the keyboardist in Trout's backing band, which was renamed The Radicals after Trout discovered that another American group had already registered the name The Free Radicals.

writer John F. Butland praised the album, writing that "You won't do much better when it comes to guitar-centric electric blues-rock", comparing Trout and his band to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.

[6] Alex Henderson of AllMusic claimed that "Go the Distance falls short of remarkable, but it's a solid, enjoyable effort that succeeds because Trout is willing to be true to himself", hailing it as "an honest blues-rock/roots rock outing".

[1] All tracks are written by Walter Trout; track 12 co-written by Jimmy Trapp, Bernard Pershey and Bill MasonWalter Trout and the Radicals Additional personnel Additional musicians