[9] Reviewing for Entertainment Weekly in 1991, Bill Wyman said the album lacks worthwhile hooks and lyrics, and that Wonder's style of arrangement sounds "more and more dated as the years go by".

[5] In a positive review, Rolling Stone magazine called Jungle Fever a "welcome return to form" and said that Wonder has not "sounded so freewheeling, confident and engaging" since his 1980 album Hotter Than July.

[3] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice cited "Fun Day" and the title track as highlights and referred to Wonder as "a genius even if that's what he's selling".

[10] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited Jungle Fever as "Wonder's best work in years ... a considerable improvement from his bland late-'80s albums", although he said Wonder can be too sentimental on ballads such as "These Three Words".

[1] J. D. Considine wrote in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) that it is "lightweight but likeable".