James Hunter from Vibe felt the song was a "leading candidate for the years best single" and that Aaliyah had "one of those "Who's that?" voices". In a review for Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, Tonya Pendleton from The Washington Post praised Aaliyah's vocals on the song by saying: "Aaliyah's silken voice caresses the beat, which swings rhythmically through "Back and Forth," one of this summer's street anthems".
James Hunter from Vibe felt the song was a "leading candidate for the years best single" and that Aaliyah had "one of those "Who's that?" voices". Tonya Pendleton from The Washington Post praised Aaliyah's vocals on the song by saying: "Aaliyah's silken voice caresses the beat, which swings rhythmically through "Back and Forth," one of this summer's street anthems".