The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated April 14, 1962, and remained on the chart for 20 weeks, peaking at number 27.[3] It reached No. 31 on the Cashbox albums chart where it stayed there for 10 weeks[4]
The album was released on compact disc by Beat Goes On on January 30, 2001, as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one disc with tracks 13 through 24 consisting of Nelson's 1963 compilation album, It's Up to You.[5] It was also released as one of two albums on one CD by Capitol Records on June 19, 2001, with the other album being Nelson's 1960 EP, Ricky Sings Spirituals.[6]Bear Family included also the album in the 2001 The American Dream box set.[7]
On release, Billboard stated that Nelson's warbling is folksy, sincere and loaded with teen appeal. He sings everything from Gershwin ('Summertime") to rockabilly, but the main emphasis is on teen-appeal tunes - "Today's Teardrops", "Thank You Darling", "Baby You Don't Know".[10]Variety wrote in their review that "his homesupn styling makes 'em sound good at the moment"[11], Cashbox stated that it "offers eleven other tunes with the musical accompaniment of his own group. While playing the rhythm guitar Rick dishes up attractive renditions of “Congratulations,” “Excuse Me Baby,” and “Poor Loser".[12]
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said that "The writers have a good sense of Nelson's taste in rock & roll, even if on occasion they sound like they're trying to clone earlier triumphs ("Today's Teardrops" particularly sounds like an attempt to rewrite "Hello Mary Lou"). For once, even the covers are striking: "Summertime" is given a rock & roll arrangement that would have surprised George Gershwin, and the choice of the 1958 country hit "I Can't Stop Loving You" was inspired.[1]
