dʒˈɜːnəlˌɪst ænd mjˈuːzɪk kɹˈɪɾɪk bɹˈɛnt wˈuːʔn̩ sɐlˈɑːn tʃˈoʊz ðə kˌɑːmpɪlˈeɪʃən æz wˈʌn ʌv hɪz tˈɑːp twˈɛnti ˈælbəmz ʌv tˈuː θˈaʊzənd twˈɛnti : "aɪ wʌz dᵻlˈaɪɾᵻd ðæt sˌoʊ mˈɛni ʌv maɪ fˈeɪvɚɹᵻts ˈɑːɹɾɪsts tɹˈiːɾᵻd ˌʌs tə ðɛɹ bˈɛst wˈɜːk ɪn jˈɪɹz luːsˈɪndə wˈɪljəmz, ɹˈuːfəs wˈeɪnɹaɪt, bˈɑːb dˈɪlən, pˈɔːl mə kˈɑːɹtni, ðə flˈeɪmɪŋ lˈɪps, ʃˈɛlbi lˈɪn, dʒˈɛf twˈiːdi, ænd flˈiːt fˈɑːksᵻz, wˌaɪl kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə fˈiːlɪŋ: ðə sˈɔŋz ʌv stˈiːvən kˈeɪlɪnˌɪʃ ænd fɹˈɛndz vˈɑːljuːm wˈʌn ɐ tɹˈɪbjuːt tə ðə pˈoʊɪt ænd bˈiːtʃ bˈɔɪz kəlˈæboːɹˌeɪɾɚ ˈɔfɚz kəntˈɛmpɚɹˌɛɹi tˈeɪks ɔnðə klˈæsɪk kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə sˈaʊnd.
Journalist and music critic Brent Wootten (Salon) chose the compilation as one of his 'Top 20 Albums of 2020' : "I was delighted that so many of my favorites artists treated us to their best work in years (Lucinda Williams, Rufus Wainwright, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Flaming Lips, Shelby Lynne, Jeff Tweedy, and Fleet Foxes), while 'California Feeling: The Songs of Stephen Kalinich and Friends Volume One' - a tribute to the poet and Beach Boys collaborator - offers contemporary takes on the classic California sound.