The album was recorded live in the studio in New Jersey in December 2001 with lead vocal and minor overdubs recorded in early 2002. It was the first Allman recording co-produced by bandmember Haynes and Michael Barbiero. The album also marked the band's exit from Sony/Epic Records and was released jointly by Sanctuary Records and the band's Peach Records.
Much of the record was written by the writing team of Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes. The band's history was not ignored: The structure of concert favorite "Desdemona" recalls that of "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", while "High Cost of Low Living" features the guitarists quoting from other Allmans classics such as "Blue Sky", "Dreams", and "Mountain Jam". But the future is served too: The acoustic track "Old Friend" closes the album; including only Haynes and Derek Trucks, it is the only Allman Brothers Band track ever not to include an original member.
On AllMusic, Thom Jurek wrote, "Hittin' the Note is the band's finest studio outing since Brothers and Sisters over 20 years before.... In sum, Hittin' the Note does exactly what its title claims – 11 tracks' worth and it burns on every one. This album is in-the-pocket, deep-grooving Allman Brothers Band blues-rock at its best."[3]
In The Music Box, John Metzger said, "... the Allman Brothers Band has persevered and with the release of its new album Hittin' the Note, the group has found a way to return to greatness. True, the departure of [Dickey] Betts is still felt throughout the album. More often than not, however, the ensemble rips into its new batch of songs with such intense force that all but the most diehard Betts fans won’t care one bit."[4]
In Rolling Stone, Parke Puterbaugh wrote, "These southern-rock road warriors' first studio album since 1994 is surprisingly solid: Returning guitarist Warren Haynes – the best axman to pass through the band since Duane Allman – plays with a steely, tensile power, while youngblood Derek Trucks... counterpoints with mellower, more even-keeled lines.... There's nothing radically new going on here, but the level of engagement is noteworthy."[5]
Steven Hyden in PopMatters said, "It should go without saying that the playing on Hittin' the Note is uniformly excellent.... But if the songs are merely workmanlike, the easy roll and tumble of the ensemble playing is still highly enjoyable.... But there's a real warmth and sense of pleasure poring out of the laser-guided grooves here that comes from long-time mates locking into a groove and seeing where it takes them."[6]
