What Is Life in the UK as perhaps the strongest of all of Harrison's singles. Writing in 1981, "NME" critic Bob Woffinden grouped "What Is LIfe" with "My Sweet Lord", "Isn't It a Pity" and "Awaiting on You All" as "all excellent songs". Reviewing the 2001 reissue of "All Things Must Pass", for "Rolling Stone", James Hunter wrote of how the album's music "exults in breezy rhythms", among which "the colorful revolutions of 'What Is Life' ... [move] like a Ferris wheel". The following year, in Rolling Stone Press's "Harrison" tribute book, David Fricke included "What Is Life" among his selection of "essential
The Study of Touch jazz piano trio in the 21st century". Writing for The Guardian reviewer John Fordham called it "A session by a master improvising composer, and in ideal company". On All About Jazz, Mike Jurkovic noted "With boundless humor and flexible grace, pianist Django Bates offers us "The Study of Touch" the perfect piano trio music for the significant other who absolutely hates piano trio music" while Karl Ackermann said "it seems that in teaming with Eldh and Bruun, more than ten years back, Bates was simultaneously laying the groundwork for what has become his own version of a standards trio. In