"[8] In the months following the announcement, Thicke made several attempts to repair their marriage and began dedicating his 2006 song "Lost Without U" to Patton during his concerts.

Thicke revealed that Paula contributed the brief recording of her voice as a favor and that the song was inspired by her making a similar statement to him previously.

[13] Clover Hope of Billboard gave Paula a score of 64 out of 100, noting that Thicke and Patton's personal life makes the album interesting, while criticizing it for being too detailed.

"[15] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine gave the album two and a half out of five stars, criticizing "Get Her Back" for being reminiscent of an interlude and "Lock the Door" for "feel[ing] like an Unplugged version of a grander, more memorable song" (though praising its arrangement).

Gardner went on to note that "the album is more texturally and emotionally varied and melody-focused than last year's Blurred Lines, with arrangements that nod heavily to old-school soul".

[23] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times gave the album one and a half stars out of four, saying "the record is a failure, a virtual what-not-to-do guide for both songwriters and spurned lovers.

"[18] Julia LeConte of Now gave the album one out of five stars, saying "Solidifying the theory that Thicke rushed the record together in a weird play for both public sympathy and capital gain, each song reeks of some other influence, the only real originality coming via the confessional and often TMI lyrics.

"[20] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B−, saying "Paula's muddled take on sexual politics probably won't woo his wife back, and the lack of an obvious "Blurred"-size hit means the Hot 100 may be equally unmoved.

"[16] Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave the album two out of five stars, saying "Some of the songs that could fit on any non-conceptual Thicke release sound like commissioned work.

Take 'Living in New York City,' a distant descendant of James Brown's 'Living in America' and Janet Jackson's 'Nasty,' seemingly made for a visitors bureau, or the equally hammy 'Tippy Toes,' which could be used to sell a line of footwear.