[2] It received mixed reviews upon its release and peaked at number three on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

In his review for Allmusic, editor Andy Kellman called Evolution of a Man "a set that is predominantly slow, sparse, and intimate.

Most of the album's last two-thirds offers familiar McKnight fare – sensitive, soothing backdrops that are at least comforting when not uplifting.

Earlier on, as well as in a couple instances deeper into the album, McKnight takes some risks with tracks that contain little more than pattering percussion and twinkling keyboards; here, the sonics are more memorable than the songs, and not much of the album as a whole holds up to repeated listening.

Some of McKnight's devoted fanbase will find the album rather fascinating since it's a change of pace, more a collection of loose sketches than a highly polished set.