[2] Sahm was unhappy with the growth that the city of Austin experienced since his move in 1971, and he grew interested in the musical scene of the East coast.

[5] Sahm recorded Hell of a Spell with sound engineer Dan Healy, his friend and collaborator of the Grateful Dead.

[9] The Los Angeles Times regarded the album as Sahm "returning to the basics" and defined him as "the reigning master" of the "Texas Blues style".

[10] the Austin American-Statesman considered that Sahm "archived a near time-warp effect of returning to a golden age of modern music".

Critic Bob Gottlieb commented that Hell of a Spell "shows off some of the remarkable range of Sahm's abilities and genius".