[1] In addition to family photos depicted throughout the booklet, the album features a cover version of Donny Hathaway's "You Were Meant for Me," the original of which was issued as a single a few months prior to his death.

[1] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman found that Where It All Begins "picks up where 2008'sSelf Portrait left off, though the pop-R&B-type moves – buzzing synthesizers, harder beats – are a little more pronounced.

"[1] Elias Leight from PopMatters felt that "though [Hathaway] tries her hand at a number of styles, her results are all similarly unimaginative.

At a time when exciting new things are happening on many fronts of R&B, Hathaway offers a dull tour through the overdone and the bland.

"[2] Where It All Begins debuted and peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of November 5, 2011, becoming Hathaway's highest-charting album yet.