Scott Yanow, writing for
AllMusic, stated: "Hargrove shows why he was so highly rated from the start of his career. On such numbers as 'September in the Rain,' 'End of a Love Affair,' 'Crazeology,' and four of his straight-ahead originals, Hargrove plays in a style not that different from
Lee Morgan but with his own soulful sound, revitalizing the jazz tradition with his enthusiastic ideas."
The Rolling Stone Album Guide emphasized that the album "mix[es] such well-known tunes as 'September in the Rain,' 'What's New' and a storming, high-speed 'Crazeology' with high-powered originals like the title track and 'Lada, continuing that "The byplay of Hargrove and Hart provides the kind of exchange usually associated with seasoned veterans." Jack Fuller for the
Chicago Tribune noted: "the young trumpeter Roy Hargrove does an undistinguished but perfectly adequate job with a set of standards and originals. The tone is as buttery as
Clifford Brown's but the sense of uniqueness isn't there yet." Similarly, a brief by
Jazz in Marciac concluded that the album "reveals a soloist who, in some ways, recalls Clifford Brown".
Spin magazine added that "This second Novus release displays Roy's maturation as a bandleader and brilliantly showcases 22-year-old Antonio Hart." == Track listing ==