The song was praised by critics for Adele's powerful voice, the lyrics and the song's instrumentation. "The Sun" called the song an "epic, foot-stomper of a pop anthem." They said it had a thumping piano. According to "The Sun", Adele's vocals seemed to be that of a veteran who has been singing for 20 years . Bill Lamb from About.com gave it 5 stars out of 5. He praised her voice and the emotion with which she sang the song. He said the song could "raise chills up the spine." He added that after hearing the song, people would want to hear the full album. Jason Lipshutz from "Billboard" praised the chorus of the song and its instrumentation. Lipshutz praised Adele's vocal performance. He said Adele was confident about her vocal ability. Lipshutz praised the way Adele started the chorus of the song. "Rolling Stone"s Barry Walters gave "Rolling in the Deep" a positive review. He said Adele's voice was "powerful but not particularly pop" in the song. He said that the song started with "a stroked acoustic guitar." But he described its end as "stomping" and one that has hand-clapping. He said this showed that the English liked to modify Black American roots music.