While superficially mimicking the vocal mannerisms of rural blacks, Miller in essence tapped into a wellspring of emotionalism that eclipsed the folk forms of the south and offered an alternative to the slick urbanity of early jazz singers.

"[19] Stereo Review labeled the album "the year's most illuminating reissue," and noted that "Miller emerges from these still-vital recordings as the father of modern country music, a case could also be made for him as one of the most supple and rhythmically assured male jazz vocalists of the Twenties.

"[20] Chuck Eddy considered Miller "the missing link between Mark Twain and the Beastie Boys," writing, "I've never before heard a singer this high and long and nasal; Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams ripped off Emmett's vocal mannerisms outright, but they sound strained compared to him.

"[9] The Boston Globe opined that "there is just something infectious about that voice... Maybe it's the clear, clean phrasing with its odd falsetto breaks that, though they may be loosely described as yodels, are more personal quirk than Alpine import.

"[21] The Toronto Star noted that a listener heard "not only the lonesome pre-echoes of Rodgers, Wills, Williams and Gene Autry, but perhaps even the primordial collision of minstrelsy, country and blues that would eventually mutate into rock 'n' roll.