[7] Recorded in Lipscomb's Texas home, the album was produced by Chris Strachwitz and Mack McCormick.

[12][13] The Journal of American Folklore wrote that "this great Texas songster absorbed the hard blues and spirituals, the ballads and dance songs, and renders them in a rich, appealing understatement.

"[15] No Depression said that "Lipscomb's picked, rhythmic style and grab-bag repertoire had a profound influence on pop artists.

"[8] AllMusic wrote that Trouble in Mind constitutes "Lipscomb and his acoustic guitar, affably picking and singing his way through an assortment of largely traditional material.

"[7] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings noted that "the separation of voice and guitar into different speakers is distracting," although it praised "Rocks and Gravel Makes a Solid Road".