"[7] In 2021, Pitchfork said "I Want Your (Hands on Me)" is O'Connor's "rare song that feels modeled after hits of the era, an early attempt at blending her blunt-force, hip-hop influence with gentler melodic gifts.
Musically, it was a sensual funk seduction with a liquid bass groove and percolating hip-hop beats; the aural equivalent of O’Connor’s forthright lyrics, which are frank on sexual desire, and her unapologetic come-hither vocals.
"[9] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, writing for Los Angeles Times, wrote, "O’Connor’s music burns so brightly in its intensity that the playfulness of 'I Want Your (Hands on Me)' remains startling.
Setting the song to a bright, bustling drum loop, O’Connor sings over a hip-hop beat, her longing serving as a tantalizing contrast to the colorful rhythms.
"[3] They called the song "commandingly sexual and breathy," noting that O'Connor "pinned her cooing vocal and icy, sensual lyrics to a clunky programmed pulse".