The original album cover featured a darkly lit close-up shot of Mumba's face.

A&M Records president Ron Fair made the decision to release the album in the United States with a new cover which had Mumba positioned in front of a bright colourful portrait, as he wanted it to be easily identifiable and express Mumba's true personality.

[8] Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised Mumba's vocals for sounding "richer" than other teen pop artists, stating that Gotta Tell You is soulful and well-constructed.

[2] Laura Morgan of Entertainment Weekly considered Mumba to be the Irish equivalent of Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.

[1] For his "Consumer Guide" reviews, Robert Christgau gave the album a dud rating.