[1] While the term "New Thing" is generally applied to only a particular group of 1960s avant-garde music artists, Coupar stated the album purposely used it as a "broader and more inclusive sense which seems to be tter encapsulate the spirit in which the term was coined.

[4] From contemporary reviews, Christopher Porter of JazzTimes commented on the label's reputation of releasing reggae, Latin, disco, soul and funk music and declared that New Thing!

showcased that "even the noisy avant-garde liked to get down sometimes-on the dance floor and in meditative thought."

finding the best track to be Maulawi's "Street Rap" which Porter described as sounding like an outtake from On the Corner.

[5] Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album a four and a half star rating, declaring it a "a treasure trove of spirited, brave, and deeply emotional music" and concluded that "What's highlighted and put on display here is one of the richest jazz compilations to come out in years and its sequencing is utterly priceless."