Critically acclaimed, Dance with My Father earned Vandross two American Music Awards in the Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and the Favorite Soul/R&B Album categories as well as four Grammy Awards wins out of five nominations, including Song of the Year and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Dance with My Father", Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "The Closer I Get to You", his duet with Beyoncé, and Best R&B Album.

In his review for Allmusic, David Jeffries summed that "Dance with My Father isn't able to maintain the high standards it often achieves, but Vandross' voice is always compelling and the background singers live up to the superior arrangements throughout.

He found that "always a class act, a kind of top-of-the-range Lexus among soulmen, Vandross has clung to his traditional strengths – lush melodies and artful arrangements, sung with that elegantly beseeching voice – while incorporating some discreet nods to modernity.

"[5] Gail Mitchell, writing for Billboard, found that Dance with My Father was "signature Luther: hot-buttered vocals dripping over lush ballads, with occasional midtempo spikes [...] Vandross proves, again, that he's a gifted vocalist who transcends time.

[16] On April 14, 2004, it was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RAA) for domestic shipments figures in excess of 2.0 million units.