The album was little noticed in the mainstream until the songs began circulating on early
file sharing websites, leading to a 2000 review from
Neil Strauss in the
New York Times. Strauss described the album's material as "among the most racist, misogynist, homophobic and obscene songs recorded by a popular songwriter." After Strauss, other commentators described the album as being profane, racist, and crude. It has also led to many of
Johnny Rebel's songs being misattributed to David Allan Coe given that many of Johnny Rebel's songs also contained racial slurs in the titles. Coe responded to the accusations by stating: "Anyone that hears this album and says I'm a racist is full of shit", who, he said, encouraged him in writing the songs for his first album
Penitentiary Blues. Coe also objected to the fact that Strauss's article was published without the
New York Times asking for his commentary. He contacted Strauss during the writing of the article, but Strauss only acknowledged talking to Coe's manager, who would only comment off the record. == Track listing ==