"Ice" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised her sexy vocals and Rowland and Wayne for rekindling the magic of "Motivation".

Following the chart success of her Lil Wayne-backed single "Motivation" (2011), Rowland started to work on her upcoming fourth studio album.

[5] "Ice" was sent to urban radio in the United States on August 14, 2012, as the lead single from Rowland's upcoming fourth studio album, which at the time was intended to be titled Year of the Woman.

[8] "Ice" is a slow midtempo R&B song, also considered "a melodic ballad", which features a thunderous beat, finger snaps and light synth riffs.

[10] A reviewer of DJ Booth wrote that Rowland "uses a synth-driven and stripper-friendly beat from producer Detail to set the mood, letting the world know that her man’s love is so good it gives her the chills".

[10] She sings: "When you come and lay between it this time / Take the ice cube (boy you know what) / Sit it right below my navel and watch what I do / And that’s my favorite angle / My legs are numb now / Your lovin’ be givin’ me chills".

Erika Ramirez of Billboard magazine wrote that "The slow winding song features both Ms. Kelly and Lil Wayne once again raising the temperature when behind closed doors.

"[11] MTV UK agreed, writing "The sexy single features Kelly’s flawless vocals raising the room temperature whilst Weezy cools it down with his chilled flow.

"[12] Following the same thoughts, Chris Eggersten of HitFix wrote that "'Ice' is a catchy tune that's held down by Rowland's solid vocal delivery and the unabashedly sexual lyrics that'll really fill your guilty pleasure quota for the evening.

That’s why the chorus (and the very first lyrics) can start with something as underwritten as 'you’re like ice, I-C-E, feels so nice', why the only surprise about the ice-cube play is how unceremoniously it enters the picture, why Wayne can get away with essentially the same thing he did last time around".

[15] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly gave "Ice" a B rating and commented that "Wayne's verse is lukewarm, but her confident control over this kinky sex jam keeps the focus more on carnal desires, and less on potential frostbite.