Leah Greenblatt of "Entertainment Weekly" wrote that Fergie's "ardent joy" on "Finally" is probably as "publicly naked as she's ever allowed herself to be". She wrote that "not that she's morphing into some kind of "My Heart Will Go On" ballad queen; Fergie is too adept on the dance floor to forsake it." While giving a negative review of "The Dutchess", Mike Joseph of PopMatters wrote that Fergie "shows hints of promise" in "Finally". According to Kelefa Sanneh of "The New York Times", the song "may one day conquer radio".