The album, a departure from prevalent country styles at the time of its release, was a critical as well as a commercial success and has come to be regarded as a classic in the honky tonk genre.

Stewart had already abandoned Nashville when RCA's producer Roy Dea heard him on a demo tape and approached him about making the album.

[5] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said "the wild urgency of Stewart's voice reminds me of both Hank Williams and Jerry Lee Lewis, communicating an unrestraint that feels genuinely liberating even when Stewart himself sounds miserable.

"[4] Rolling Stone gave it high praise as well, stating at the time of its release that "[w]ith practitioners like Stewart around, honky-tonk—and rockabilly—may not be dead yet" and, in a later review, describing it as a "formidable deadpan triumph".

"[4] According to Nashville Scene, Stewart "updated the hillbilly existentialism of Hank Williams for the rock ’n’ roll era.