[3][4][5] Nile Rodgers, the album's producer, called it "the best thing I ever made that didn't sell" in the July 27, 2015, issue of New York magazine.

Richard S. Ginell of AllMusic called the album "a perhaps surprisingly scintillating collaboration with one of the leading dance-music producer/guitarists of the time, Nile Rodgers (of Chic).

He added, "Hear the way Jarreau brilliantly threads his way through the rhythmically complex hornet's nest of 'Says' in English and French, or savor the sheer ecstatic energy of the chorus of 'Pleasure' and the rapid-fire list of cities in the title track; this is first-class pop recordmaking.

"[7] J. D. Considine of Musician wrote, "It isn't simply that Rodgers reins in the singer's almost freakish virtuosity, although that helps; more to the point, the arrangements provide both focus and contrast for the singing, so that the flash bits truly excite.

Best of all, from the EW&F swing of 'Golden Girl' to the Chic-style groove of the title tune, Rodgers ties the vocals so closely to the beat that it's impossible not to be captivated.