"Out of the Darkness", a
synthesizer-led anthem with sweeping
arena rock and
hair metal atmosphere, garnered some airplay, as well as
music video play on
MTV, and was effective in concert, while the somewhat softer and evocative "Checkpoint Charlie" also received considerable radio airplay. "Los Desaparecidos" gained praise as an effective
protest song on behalf of the 1970s and 1980s victims of state-sponsored
forced disappearance in
South America. On other songs, the political viewpointing became more strident and was criticized as somewhat artless.
"I Am a Patriot", which held roughly that dissent was not disloyalty, became a favorite song of
Jackson Browne, who covered it on his 1989 album World in Motion, and who frequently performed it in his concerts. In 2004, the two would duet on the song during the last of the
Vote for Change shows.
Pearl Jam has covered the song as well.
In 2019, the album was remastered for release as part of Van Zandt's career-spanning box set Rock N Roll Rebel: The Early Work. The digital deluxe edition of the album was released on October 25, 2019, containing 10 bonus tracks, including the studio outtake "Rock N Roll Rebel", which was written following Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen's 1983 removal from
Disneyland due to their clothing being deemed inappropriate.[4] The digital deluxe edition also includes the reissued Vote! bonus EP.