He began working towards a comeback in the late 1990s but while he enjoyed international success, his albums failed to chart or sell noticeably in the United States.

[3] Following the release of his hit compilation album The Definitive Collection in 2003 and his daughter Nicole's appearance in The Simple Life, Richie returned to public attention.

Lenny Kravitz and Daniel Bedingfield sang duets with him, while songwriters Paul Barry and Mark Taylor – who were best known for light works – wrote several songs.

[13] The Guardian's Dave Simpson found that Richie was "disturbingly in tune with the times," mixing "boy band anthems" with funk, rock, and soul.

[10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, writing for AllMusic, gave Just for You three out of five stars, considering the album "well-crafted" and consistent in sound quality and cohesive.

[4] Marcus Reeves of Vibe likewise gave the album three stars, finding that several tracks – such as "She's Amazing" – to be reflective of Richie's earlier work, although he dismissed the "cheesy, clichéd lyrics" of the "we-are-the-world social anthems" included.

[16][14] Jack Smith of BBC Music found Just for You "far better than many would ofdreamed [sic] possible", highlighting the album's two duets as among its best and describing "Just to Be with You Again" as "sensitively produced and performed to absolute perfection".

[11] Christian Hoard and Jon Caramanica of Rolling Stone gave the album two stars out of five, writing that Richie had not "stray[ed] too far from his strengths" in producing the work.