It was written by Sade Adu, Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul S. Denman, and produced by the band and Mike Pela.

[2][3] Randy Clark from Cash Box described "Kiss of Life" as a "compelling love song in the same, easily identifiable soul-groove niche she carved out for herself" in 1985 with "Smooth Operator".

[5] Alan Jones from Music Week deemed it "one of her most expressive pieces, with fluted notes and the odd wail all melding nicely in a warm, summery setting."

[7] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave it three out of five, writing, "You know exactly what you're going to get; the slow beat, saxophone solo, bongo drums and her husky vocals.

[10] In 2010, The Daily Vault's Mark Millan said that it "however, leaves nothing to chance as it is the kind of simple but heartfelt love song that Sade is so good at producing.