[13] Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone gave the album 2.5 stars out of 5, saying "American Idol's 12th victor deserves better than this much-delayed hodgepodge of styles and ideas.

The voice that pushed Alicia Keys and U2 songs into unimagined octaves all season long – inspiring judge Nicki Minaj to say, "I want to skin you and wear you" – is on full display.

An entire album of cosmopolitan Mark Ronson-esque pop soul like "Same Kinda Man" and the Shabba Ranks-interpolating "In the Middle" could have been revelatory.

"[14] Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times gave the album a positive review, saying "There are signs of individual life here: the palpable regret in "Damn," about falling in love "with someone else's man"; the old-fashioned sass suffusing "In the Middle"; the tension between desire and virtue in "Passenger," with a characteristically woozy beat by producer Mike Will Made It.

Voices lauded the album, saying "'Music Speaks' is a fantastic debut that is astoundingly exquisite in design, offering a homage to all eras of soul and, most importantly, Candice's prime talents."

"[16] The Daily News' Jim Farber also praised Glover's artistry, saying "It helps that her smooth voice sits so comfortably on the songs, content to illuminate their fine tunes rather than over-embellish them with flash.