Writing for Allmusic, critic Thom Jurek wrote, "It's been five years since Earl Klugh issued the smooth chamber group offering The Spice of Life."

His graceful yet inventive playing, the clean production, and a canny choice of material make Hand Picked one of the finest recordings in his catalog.

"[1] Jason Shadrick of Premier Guitar gives the album a 4 out of a possible 5 picks and writes, "On HandPicked, Klugh sticks with mainly pop and jazz standards and doesn't fall into the trap of over-arranging tunes to the detriment of melodies.

He opens with Burt Bacharach's "Alfie," holding true to the original’s melody, but adding his trademark harmonic twists and turns, as well as occasional technical flash.

"[2] Brent Faulkner of PopMatters gives the album 7 out of a possible 10 and concludes his review with, "Ultimately, Handpicked is pleasant showing the total musician flexing his muscles.