In a joint review of What's Going On and Stevie Wonder's Where I'm Coming From, Aletti wrote, "Ambitious, personal albums may be a glut on the market elsewhere, but at Motown they're something new ... the album as a whole takes precedence, absorbing its own flaws.
Dalam menanggapi album ini dan milik Stevie Wonder Where I'm Coming From, Aletti menulis: Ambisius, album pribadi yang mungkin 'kekenyangan' di pasar pada tempat lain, tetapi di Motown mereka sesuatu yang baru ... album secara keseluruhan diutamakan, menyerap kelemahan sendiri.