 Billboard magazine said, "Elvis is back and singing better than ever in the rock and roll style he made famous". The New York Times called the record "drab and lackluster". Referencing Presley's change of style, High Fidelity magazine said: "Presley obviously finds it hard to record his old gusto ... Perhaps [the recordings] are the first attempts to master new styles". Hi-Fi Stereo Review magazine also remarked on the change in Presley's style, calling the album "musically schizoid" despite deeming the overall recording "good". The review said Presley's ballads were "the worst he's ever made" but lauded "his former vitality" in the "commercial rockabilly romps".
