Completed in six months, the singer worked with duo Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken on the majority of the album, while a variety of additional producers, including Andrew Frampton, The Heavyweights, The Jam, Rodney Jerkins, Kwamé, Troyton Rami, Stargate, Supa Dups, Wayne Wilkins, and Eliseus Joseph from Classic Soul Productions, also contributed.

AllMusic editor Anthony Tognazzini noted that Shontelligence "finds its legs [...] in the middle ground between urban contemporary pop and the influence of her native island.

"[7] Similarly, Andy Gill, writing for The Independent, wrote that Shontelligence "doesn't quite live up to this opening salvo, unfortunately: too many tracks lapse into coffee-table reggae grooves, and too many lyrics rehearse assertiveness-training commonplaces.

"[8] Alex Macpherson of The Guardian gave the album a mixed three ouf of five stars rating, citing the artist's "thoughtful songwriting and an understated vocal presence.

[6] His colleague Paul Lester was more negative, saying the album's lead single was horrible and th"at he preferred Rihanna to Shontelle, and labeled her a "wannabe hitmaker," citing "the bland lyrics" of "T-Shirt" being comparable to any R&B song.