[2][3] The set, largely produced by Greg Wells, features one guest appearance by rapper/actor Common, who graces "Favorite Song", while her songwriting collaborators include Ryan Tedder, Toby Gad, Jason Reeves and Rick Nowels.
[7] Caillat penned two album tracks with pop songwriter Ryan Tedder (Kelly Clarkson, Beyoncé, Leona Lewis), while Toby Gad, Jason Reeves and Rick Nowels all have writing credits on "All of You."
I've never been interested in musicians before, and now having a boyfriend that plays amazing guitar and piano and has a beautiful voice… it's cheesy but it's awesome, because we write these songs about our relationship and it brought us closer together."
The lyrics reflect the tumble into love: "Boy, we go together like peanuts and Paydays/ Marley and Reggae/ And everybody needs to get a chance to say/ Oh, this is how it starts/ Lightning strikes the heart/ It goes off like a gun/ Brighter than the sun.
[8] "What If" is a track featured in the movie Letters to Juliet and a duet with Common entitled "Favorite Song", both stray from Caillat's usual sound; the former replaces acoustic guitar with electric and the latter is a hip-hop jam.
Anderson went to say that "Caillat plays with rhythmic touches (the high-spirited handclaps on "Brighter Than the Sun") and adds a dollop of country heartbreak to both her voice and her lyrics.
Sure, there are still pie-eyed moments ('We go together like peanuts and paydays, Marley and reggae') as Caillat keeps one foot in contemporary Disney Channel and another in vintage Laurel Canyon.
Nevertheless, it's hard to not appreciate the smooth craft of the Letters to Juliet film contribution 'What If,' 'Dream Life' and the title track-and the dynamic sophistication of 'Brighter Than the Sun' and 'Favorite Song,' her collaborations with Ryan Tedder and Common, respectively.
"[13] Stephen Thomas Erlewine writer of Allmusic gave a favorable review about the album and wrote: "she’s not just strumming, she’s swinging, sometimes urged along by handclaps" but in the end called it "easily her best record yet.
"[11] Mikael Wood wrote for Los Angeles Times that "All of You puts a significant amount of force into the illusion of effortlessness; its scrim of summer-fun abandon obscures a stage busy with high-level record-making.
"[16] A very positive review came from Bill Lamb editor of About.com, who rated it four out of five stars and claimed that she has "introduced more variety on her third set All Of You, and it makes the whole album work quite well.
"[10] A more mixed review came from Chris Willman from Chicago Tribune, who declared that "You hate to forever define an artist by her breakout song, but Colbie Caillat's eternal 'Bubbly'-ness doesn't leave much choice other than to worry about how easily the slightest sharp edge might pop the musical air ball in progress.
"[12] Jaymie Baxley of Slant Magazine was negative in his review, rating it 1.5 out of 5 stars, saying, "For the most part, All of You is virtually indistinguishable from Caillat's previous work..."[17] The album's lead single, "I Do", was released on February 7, 2011, and was a success, debuting at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100.