"Billboard"s Michael Paoletta applauded "Vespertine" for its "positive feeling some of the tracks "have the strength to bring tears (of joy and pain) to the eyes." "Q" also praised the album, stating that it "quietly proves that cutting-edge production and human contact aren't mutually exclusive." American music journalist Robert Christgau enjoyed the album's central theme of sex and wrote: "when she gets all soprano on your ass you could accuse her of spirituality". A more lukewarm review came from "Pitchfork"s Ryan Schreiber, who felt that: "while undeniably beautiful, "Vespertine" fails to give electronic music the forward push it received on Björk's preceding albums". However, "Pitchfork" later named Vespertine the 92nd best album of the 2000s. David Browne of "Entertainment Weekly" said "her lyrics occasionally dive into the deep end" and "her voice is at times stiff", although he also wrote "when it all comes together, [... Björk and her electronica collaborators create moving interplanetary chorals". "Almost Cool" wrote: "if there's one question to be raised with the album, it's that it's all simply so lush and nice that on some levels it fails to excite". Various reviews named "Vespertine" Björk's best album to date, including "The A.V. Club", "Rolling Stone", About.com, and "PopMatters".