[3] Poses contains ornate, piano-driven arrangements that cite a wide variety of musical sources, from "indie pop to Gershwin to trip-hop and back again.

[2] Using fewer operatic elements than the previous album, in an attempt to create a more radio-friendly pop record, Poses addresses debauchery and love in less esoteric means.

[2][6] The bonus track "Across the Universe" is a Lennon–McCartney song that Wainwright recorded initially for the 2001 film I Am Sam, and later re-recorded with producer Greg Wells for Poses.

"[14] He teamed up with producer Pierre Marchand, a family friend who often worked with Wainwright's mother and aunt (Kate and Anna McGarrigle), and had helped him record several demo tapes prior to being signed to DreamWorks.

[15][16] According to Wainwright, Poses grew thematically out of its title track, which was inspired by his residency at New York City's infamous Chelsea Hotel.

"[6][20] The music video for "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk", directed by Giles Dunning and released by DreamWorks in 2001, features Wainwright performing the song at a piano inside a warehouse and scenes of him walking around New York City.

[21] Asserting that successful pop albums evoke a particular lifestyle that other people have experienced, Rolling Stone's Ben Ratliff claims Poses does just that, manifesting the "young, gay, narcissistic achiever in New York".

[24] Pitchfork's Joe Tangari complimented the title track, stating that it "stands as one of Wainwright's finest songs, with an aching melody and Spartan piano backing.

[3][20] Rolling Stone said the following of the track: "['Shadows'] keeps a dry funk drumbeat, a dab of piano chords, some low clarinet lines and, finally, a swarm of seraphic, multitracked voices; it's one of the many songs on the album that build up to moments of cinematic perfection, in which your goose bumps are exactly the ones Wainwright intended.

[27] "Grey Gardens" is a tribute to the documentary film of the same name and Thomas Mann's Death in Venice, written as if Tadzio (a character from the novel) is in the Beales' mansion and Wainwright is "Little Edie".

[27]The simple "In a Graveyard" has been described as a "soulful reflection on moribund themes that momentarily leaves the oboes and strings at the door for a direct heart-to-heart with the listener.

Allmusic's Zac Johnson called the album "spectacular", "brimming over with Wainwright's trademark popera and young romantic wishes."

"[2] In his review for Pitchfork, Joe Tangari characterized Poses as an "epic album that speaks with grand gestures and a refined eloquence rare in young songwriters.

Blender's Lisa Gidley asserted the album cemented Wainwright as the "most sardonic iconoclast", and that well-worn topics from obsession to culture shock are "skewered in fresh ways.

"[4] Raidió Teilifís Éireann contributor Tom Grealis stated Poses is "infused with a rare charm and wit, magnified by Wainwright's sharp lyrical touch and vocal melodies", and that "Papa must be proud.

[2] The Guardian's John Aizlewood praised Poses for being brighter and more focused than Rufus Wainwright, but described the title track as dreary and "Shadows" as "schmaltzy".