In order to promote the album La Havas ventured on numerous tours and supported Blood with the release of two singles—"Unstoppable" and "What You Don't Do"—both of which fared moderately.

[1] During the album's recording process La Havas, took inspiration from her mixed Greek and Jamaican heritage and the "clarity" she discovered when revisiting her youth.

[1] As well as Epworth, Blood featured production work from Mark Batson, while Aqualung's Matt Hales co-wrote the song "Wonderful" with La Havas and Disclosure's Howard Lawrence.

[9] Her songs remain smooth, teetering on the fringes of jazz, only this time, as well as gloss, there is defiance – a leap from the sweet acoustic stories of her 2012 debut, Is Your Love Big Enough?.

There are moments on Blood that recall the artistry and ambition of Jill Scott or Lauryn Hill, comparisons that have led to La Havas being described as a neo or nu-soul artist.

[11] The album takes numerous influences from musical genres including pop, reggae and old-school jazz whilst its production has been characterised as containing light chimes and heavy brass.

[17] Caitlin White of the publication Stereogum described the song's production as "sweeping", accompanied by "flickers of rich, velvety rhythm guitar".

[19] Lyrically "Green & Gold" sees La Havas recalling a childhood identity crisis, examining her features in the looking glass and coming up with answers relating to the colours of her mother's Jamaican flag, her Greek father and her London upbringing.

It relies on turning the negative phrase "What You Don't Do" into a positive message, talking about the games La Havas is not "forced to endure" during her relationship.

[23] "Tokyo" contains a slow groove built over a hazy effect, lyrically the song sees La Havas yearning and in state of disorientation.

[27] The song is a slow tempo track built over finger snaps, prickles of string, and drums subtly played in reverse with lyrics involving themes of sadness.

[29] Prior to the album's release La Havas previewed tracks from Blood at various intimate shows, starting in Brigton Komedia on 18 May, followed by London's Wilton's Music Hall on 19 May, and then dates in Amsterdam and Berlin later in that month, before going on to tour festivals.

[34] La Havas later announced she would be embarking on a month-long North American tour beginning 23 September 2015 with stops in Washington, DC; Chicago; Boston; San Francisco; and Austin, among others.

[35] The tour followed previously announced performances at the Essence Festival in New Orleans and a sold-out pair of intimate evenings at the Troubadour in Los Angeles and Bowery Ballroom in New York in July.

[35] Additionally, a limited amount of VIP packages that included a ticket to the show, custom merchandise items, and priority entry at participating venues were made available.

[37] Tshepo Mokoena of The Guardian gave the album three out of five stars and praised La Havas' vocals, stating that it makes "for addictive listening".

[40] Rolling Stone's Joe Levy gave the album three-and-a-half stars, describing La Havas' new musical direction as "bass, and plenty of it" and the songs "Unstoppable" and "What You Don't Do" as its standouts.

[44] Entertainment Weekly's Jessica Goodman gave it a B+ rating and complimented La Havas' vocals and her ability to take bigger risks musically.

[45] AllMusic's Andy Kellman gave it four out of five stars and called it "impressive", continuing to state that Blood leaves Havas' debut in the "dust".

[38] In a mixed review by the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot, he described the album's content as "bloodiness" and claimed that La Havas' vocals do not make an impact as an "emotional imperative".