[4]The album drew musical comparisons from critics to the sounds of Philly soul, Motown, and disco funk which Thicke attributed to the use of live instruments, including string and horn sections.

Thicke held on to the song and did not release it until he was contacted by Wayne in 2008 regarding it, which led to their collaboration,[5] marking their third time featuring on the same track following "Shooter" and "All Night Long".

[6] Thicke wrote the song “Shadow of Doubt” following a 2007 performance on The Oprah Winfrey Show (for which he felt uneasy and unprepared despite it being well-received); he described the song as being “about a nagging feeling of inadequacy, one that ceaselessly stalks, no matter how one ascends.”[7] Speaking in October 2008 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul, Thicke explained the lyrical background to 'Something Else': "With me I think there's always been a little bit of self-examination, spirituality and love in the music.

"[12] Sarah Rodman from The Boston Globe felt that "amid the attempts at sexual healing and cosmic, eco-soul unity, Thicke crafts some beautiful atmospheres.

Lilting Latin-pop grooves punctuated with congas and guiros melt into tremulous pop symphonies that are equally influenced by the marching orders of Sgt.

She found that "as a utilitarian background soundtrack, it'll do nicely [...] but Thicke's songwriting teeters into self-parody, and his mixed metaphors – "We're just spaceships in the night/Ripping the clothes off of the past/Making a new path" — could break the mood of the randiest couples".

[13] Vibe editor Sean Fennessey called the album a "strange, refreshing amalgam: Alexander O'Neal-ish openness, Luther Vandross-style swing, Smokey Robinson-esque falsetto, even James Ingram’'s hokiness.

"[19] Blender editor Barry Walters concluded: "Every white soul traditionalist from Hall & Oates to Duffy demands catchy, impactful songs, yet that’s where Thicke is thinnest.