[17] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian felt that Capaldi has "a powerful voice" and that he is "better at misery than soaring happiness" but that "there are moments where the Hey Jude-by-way-of-Coldplay piano intros and wounded, roaring choruses merge into one long heartbroken ballad – and occasionally points up his limitations".

[20] Kate Brayden of Hot Press wrote that the album "sticks largely to familiar terrain, but emphasises the talent's jaw-dropping vocal prowess on numerous tracks", particularly "Any Kind of Life" and "How This Ends".

Brayden also felt that the "gargantuan weight of expectations" affects the music, as the "results" of Capaldi's writing sessions with London- and Los Angeles-based songwriters "are mixed, with a boatload of raw piano ballads referencing original sin, angels, hell, heaven, undying love and the rest".

[21] Reviewing the album for The Line of Best Fit, Caitlin Chatterton described the album as "a triumphant return from Capaldi", calling "Heavenly Kind of State of Mind" one of its best tracks as it "encourages listeners to put down the tissues and stand up for a boogie", and "Love the Hell Out of You" and "Any Kind of Life" as "tender piano ballads [that] relish, and then anguish over the 'during' and 'after' of falling in love".

[24] Robin Murray of Clash wrote that on the album, Capaldi "plays it safe, doubling down on the formula that made his debut so beloved by fans, while making only subtle changes" and with a "lack of daring" it "certainly delivers on fan-pleasing trickery".

[18] Reviewing the album for NME, Thomas Smith opined that the album "occasionally shows steady growth" as with the groove on "Forget Me", the "tinge" of Americana on "Heavenly Kind of State of Mind", the "'80s power ballad-indebted" guitar solo on "Leave Me Slowly", as well as Capaldi's irony and "candid" lyrics on "How I'm Feeling Now", but that "this potential remains largely untapped".

[22] The Independent's Annabel Nugent judged that "these gorgeously sung laments turn into a ballad soup of sorts", and that the album lacks Capaldi's "personable charm" and "variety".