[3] Michael Odell from The Guardian called the song "the sort of 1970s style ballad that Aaliyah's aunt, Gladys Knight, would approve of – but again it's stripped down and rebuilt with layers of haunting keyboard and lo-tech vocal percussion".
[15] Daryl Easlea from BBC praised Aaliyah's vocal performance, saying the song "would be a conventional ballad on a more obvious soul star's album.
The electric piano and extremely earnest multi-tracked vocals give off the sheen of neo-soul; this is Aaliyah doing Angie Stone".
[17] Russell Baillie from The New Zealand Herald described the song as "soul-sass" and felt that "Aaliyah's voice weaves through the sparse but punchy arrangements with a mix of sultriness".
[18] Luke McManus from the Irish publication RTÉ felt that Aaliyah showcased her voice more on the song and that her newfound vocal ability matched the "brilliance of the backing tracks".
[19] In a retrospective review, Billboard, felt that "I Care 4 U" was different from other songs that had released, yet Aaliyah "demonstrates the ease with which she can slip into a neo-soul ballad – with just enough production eccentricities to establish that Timb is indeed behind the boards".
[20] In the United States, "I Care 4 U" debuted at number 75 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs due to heavy airplay on June 1, 2002, despite not having been released as a single yet.
[24] Along with "Rock the Boat" and "More Than a Woman", the song helped give Aaliyah a strong presence on the radio following her August 25, 2001 death.