"Now and Zen" was received positively by both Plant's fans and professional music critics. In a contemporary review for "Rolling Stone", Kurt Loder hailed "Now and Zen" as "some kind of stylistic event: a seamless pop fusion of hard guitar rock, gorgeous computerization and sharp, startling songcraft." Robert Christgau found it superior to his previous two attractive but forgettable solo albums, writing in "The Village Voice" that "at its best, it's far from forgettable. Overall effect is a cross between his former band and the Cars."