A breakaway from his previous albums and their adult contemporary sounds, Richie and executive producer Antonio "L.A." Reid recruited a number of sought-after producers and songwriters from the contemporary R&B and hip-hop genres to work with him on the album, including Dallas Austin, Jerry Duplessis, Jermaine Dupri, Sean Garrett, Wyclef Jean, Rodney Jerkins, and Norwegian duo Stargate.

The album earned a generally mixed reception from music critics, who either complimented or dismissed Richie's decision to update his sound.

In the United States, Coming Home debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, becoming his biggest hit album since 1986's Dancing on the Ceiling, while selling up to 449,000 copies.

Entertainment Weekly critic Michael Endelman felt that while "Richie collaborates with producers who are young enough to be his kids in a bid to update his quiet-storm sound for modern R&B ears [...] The move pays off, as Richie’s silky voice glides through tracks [...] But dentists of America, don’t fret: The ’80s soft-pop titan hedges his bets by also including plenty of his trademark banal ballads.

[2] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman found that "too much of Coming Home is merely pleasant – particularly the adult contemporary fare, with the exception of "I Love You" – or too conscious of remaining with the times.