It features guest appearances from André 3000, Smokey Robinson, Lalah Hathaway, Jazmine Sullivan, Sonyae Elise, and Brandy, along with posthumous vocals from Nate Dogg.

[3] Paak has stated in interviews that Dre let him have more freedom with the production on Ventura, following the more tightly produced Oxnard.

[9] Kitty Richardson of The Line of Best Fit gave a positive review, stating "With sumptuous harmonies and a live band locked in on every track, .Paak finds a sweet spot between throwback soul and the 21st Century dancefloor.

[17] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian spoke on the album saying "Ventura sounds like the work of someone intent on fixing the flaws in its predecessor.

[2] Jordan Bassett of NME called the album "a lush '70s soul-inflected record" commenting that "Last year's Oxnard referenced his childhood in the titular Los Angeles neighbourhood, while this latest album name-checks Ventura, the sun-kissed Californian coastal town in which, he's explained, he 'found [his] depth' as a teen".

critic Ryan B. Patrick said, "It's a super-charged R&B record, laced with throwback Motown/Philly grooves, that hits hard but fails to land a knockout blow.

[13] Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork said, "This tune-up album, at the very least, restores the underlying feeling of his signature stuff.

[16] Ventura debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, earning 55,000 album-equivalent units, of which 39,000 were pure album sales.