On the album, Lincoln is joined by saxophonist Dave Liebman, pianist Hiromasa Suzuki, double bassist Kunimitsu Inaba, drummer Al Foster, and conga player James Mtume.

[1][2][3] The album, the first to extensively feature Lincoln's compositions, appeared after a hiatus of roughly twelve years,[4] during which she wrote songs and worked on vocal training.

"[7] According to Lincoln, the album's title track was her first original song;[8] regarding the process of composing it, she stated: "It really relieved me of whatever anxieties I had been carrying around, and it helped me to make peace with myself.

"[7] Writing for the New York Times, John S. Wilson described the album as "a very impressive display of Miss Lincoln's talents as a songwriter as well as a singer," and commented: "she sings with a very positive projection, particularly on her own songs, which are imaginatively phrased statements of her feelings — the search for a homeland in her haunting lyric to John Coltrane's 'Africa,' and 'People in Me,' in which she joyously shouts out the lists of the mingled bloodstreams that make up the human race.

"[12] In a review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow wrote: "Every Abbey Lincoln recording is well worth picking up for her sincerity, credibility and talent make each of her dates memorable in their own way.