[4] The cover for So Much Better was photographed by former rapper D-Nice, while the A&R overseeing the project were Hakim Green and Vincent "Tuffy" Morgan, members of the mid-1990s hip hop group Channel Live.

Mark Edward Nero from About.com called So Much Better a "flawed gem; the quality of songs varies somewhat – but overall, if you're a fan of traditional R&B, it's worth adding to your collection.

"[5] AllMusic wrote about the album: "Passionate, sensual, and romantic, yet never lapsing into a retro-themed rehash of the past, So Much Better, Thomas' third album, strikes just the right combination of slick, hip-hop-spiced grooves and vintage R&B soul [...] Sharp production and arrangements add to the overall luster of the disc, making So Much Better a contemporary R&B offering that fans of the genre can sink their teeth into.

"[6] Billboard found that So Much Better "offers the same sincerity and raw intensity that made us swoon in the first place.

[8] Thomas' third consecutive album to peak at number two on the latter chart, it marked his first project to miss the top ten of the Billboard 200.