The intro of the song is dominated by a recurrent slap bass line and the Maestro G-2 wah of a vintage Telecaster that plays the melody while a synth organ makes the counterpoint.
[14][15][16][17] In a positive review, Pitchfork’s Sheldon Pearce called the track "a full-blown funk slow jam" which "parses love, lust, reconciliation, generations of black soul, and wokeness".
[18] Slant Magazine, which ranked the song as the Best Single of 2017, described it as "a creepin’ tribute to the pre-quiet-storm R&B characterized by the Delfonics and the Floaters" and highlighted the "Thundercat-worthy popping bassline" and "insistent glockenspiel diddling strike",[13] with author Jonathan Wroble noting the song's "wah-wah guitar and slap bass, distant chimes, and pitch-shifted vocals", calling them "robotic and soulful at once".
[19] Jason Woodbury of Flood Magazine compared the song to "Prince’s erudite R&B" and called Glover's falsetto singing "remarkable".
[20] Editors from Rolling Stone included the track in the publication's 100 Greatest Songs of the Century So Far list in 2018, stating that it distilled the spirit of "that Seventies black music that felt like they were trying to start a revolution".
[14] "Redbone" was a sleeper hit in the United States, debuting at number 75 on Billboard Hot 100 for the chart dated December 10, 2016.