According to music journalist Peter Doggett, the album was "accepted for years as an authentic Hendrix album rather than a posthumous compilation." Doggett himself described "The Cry of Love" as "Kramer's concoction", while other music writers have identified it as being authorized or sanctioned by Hendrix himself. Music historian Martin Huxley, "The Guardian"s Jeremy Allen, and rock music journalist Eduardo Rivadavia call it a compilation album; music writers Phil Hardy, Frank N. Magill, and Richard Kienzle identify it as a "authorized", "true", or "formal" studio album. "Guitar World" journalist Alan di Perna describes it as a "half-finished studio album".