I had no intention or idea or desire to make an homage, but the music came like that and reminded me of the marvelous event when I heard Love Supreme for the first time.

[8] Mike Greenblatt called To the One "very heady, complicated, meandering, spiritual, bass-centric yet trebly and deeply satisfying" in The Aquarian Weekly.

[2] Thom Jurek of AllMusic called the album an "inspired milestone for McLaughlin and a fine recorded introduction to one of the more exciting electric jazz groups in the 4th Dimension".

[12] John Bungey of The Times was more mixed in his review writing "a strong group performance but a few more memorable themes amid the bustle might have added to the spiritual uplift".

[8] Ian Patterson in All About Jazz wrote that "Simply listening to his improvisations throughout the six originals leaves no doubt that he is in inspired creative form.