The album included remakes of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine", Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" and The Supremes' "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone".

[6] Rolling Stone (12/7/1972, p. 68) - "...slick, artful and every bit as good as the regular Jackson 5 product...a sweetly touching voice...innocence and utter professionalism...fascinating and finally irresistible..." In a retrospective review, Rob Theakston from AllMusic rated the album two and a half out of five stars.

He found that "as a cohesive album, Got to Be There is wildly erratic, and his covers of "You've Got a Friend" and "Ain't No Sunshine" show Jackson's versatility as a singer.

She found that "highlights include a jaunty cover of "Rockin' Robin," the wistful title track, and the soaring '"I Wanna Be Where You Are".

[9][10] On August 2, 2013, over forty years after its original release, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies.