[9] The Independent's Emily Jupp described "Higher" as an "Amy Winehouse-inspired number",[10] and Nolan Feeney of Time called the song a "whiskey-soaked come-hither".
"[7] Consequence of Sound's David Sackllah called the song "thunderous", with Rihanna "[pushing] her vocal prowess past its breaking point, packing an album’s worth of stunning moments into two minutes".
"[13] Contrastingly, the newspaper's Alexis Petridis said the song's "combination of slurred vocal and woozy music sounds amazing, like an epic 60s tearjerker performed by people who've overindulged so much they're either on the verge of passing out, or being sick in a bin".
", and wrote: "We’ve met a lot of Rihannas over the years, but 'Higher' ... is the first appearance of 'last call Rihanna'—a drunk-dialer with a ruined voice box, an insatiable burning in their loins, and an alarming lack of interest in maintaining dignity.
[15] Teen Vogue's Crissy Milazzo wrote, "At Rihanna's most Amy Winehouse moment, she sings about whiskey and ashtrays, letting you hear the wear-and-tear on her voice for a brief two minutes.
"[16] USA Today's Maeve McDermott and Patrick Ryan said the song was "a finger in the eye" to "Love on the Brain", the preceding track on the album, "as Rihanna ditches the pretty vibrato to sing-shout some late-night come-ons in the most BadGalRiRi moment on the record.
It goes from a beguiling, 'This whiskey got me feeling pretty,' to Rihanna throwing herself into the sloppier mess of just wanting to be with someone, and fast... Never has a drunk dial been this convincing — or this powerfully moving.