Despite calling it "lyrically a bit simple", Yahoo! Music's Jeff Watson commended D'Angelo for his musicianship and wrote that his "marvelous voice and smooth instrumentation complement his solid songwriting skills". Having been lukewarm toward the record in a contemporary review for "The Village Voice", Robert Christgau later wrote in "MSN Music" that he "wasn't surprised to have warmed to it ... D'Angelo's concentration is formidable, his groove complex yet primal." The song "Brown Sugar" was nominated for the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. The album was also nominated for Best R&B Album. "Lady" was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. It was also ranked number 21 on "The Village Voice"s 1995 Pazz & Jop critics' poll and number 12 in "The Wire"s annual critics' poll.