The album was awarded 3 stars in an Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell who states "As specifically indicated by the album's title, the title tune's bluesy cast, and Sweet Lou Donaldson's own determined liner notes, this CD aims to strike a blow for soul-jazz, a once-popular, then-maligned idiom newly returned from exile. That it does — with no frills, no apologies, and an idiomatic supporting cast... the CD achieves a comfortable level of competence without really grabbing hold of a groove and riding it the way Donaldson could in his Blue Note days".[3]
