[1][2] Hart promoted the album with North American tours that included stints with Galactic and Ben Harper.

[12] The Boston Globe noted that Hart's "flexible, tar-and-whiskey voice conveys as much personality as his fret work".

[13] The Province determined that Hart "winds up sounding not terribly unlike a toned-down Little Feat or a little above a run-of-the-mill blues rock power trio.

"[14] The Scotsman opined that "the instrumentals sound a bit like unfinished backing tracks, but there's a rousing swagger which makes the whole thing hard to resist.

[17] The New York Times considered Start with the Soul to be one of the best albums of 2000, concluding that Hart "has an uncooked voice and a stance all his own... Jim Dickinson's production makes this real living blues.