John Fordham of The Guardian stated 'It's a better balanced Porter album than formerly, and as classily polished and confident as is usual from Blue Note.

"[9] Thom Jurek of AllMusic added "While his first two recordings revealed a major new talent with their promise, Liquid Spirit is a giant step forward artistically, and for the listener, an exercise in musical inspiration.

"[1] The Independent's Phil Johnson noted "The soulful vocalist follows his two excellent indie albums with a major-label debut that contains few surprises yet deepens the story so far".

[14] Mike Hobart of Financial Times wrote "Gregory Porter ’s largely self-penned major label debut is an artful and free-spirited blend of love songs, social commentary and reflections on life...

The lyrics are heart-on-sleeve, and occasionally odd, but Porter's rich baritone oozes confidence and brings each syllable life".