The album received generally positive reviews, with a mixed reaction to Jackson's social and political themes. Dennis Hunt of "Los Angeles Times" called it "intriguing" and diverse, ranging from "social commentary to lusty, sensual tunes, from dance music to songs laced with jazz and Brazilian textures." Vince Aletti of "Rolling Stone" likened Jackson's themes to a politician, "abandoning the narrow 'I' for the universal 'we' and inviting us to do the same." Aletti complimented Jackson's balance of "despair with optimism, anger with hope", incorporated within its theme of social progress. Andy Ellis-Widders of "Keyboard" considered it "a powerful statement on racial integration, social accountability, and personal integrity." In his review for "The Boston Globe", Steve Morse compared its success to that of Aerosmith and Billy Joel, declaring it "a dance record with a ruthlessly frank social conscience that addresses drugs, homelessness, illiteracy and teen runaways. She's reached far beyond dance music's fluffy image to unite even serious rockers and rappers who usually look the other way." Michael Snyder of the "San Francisco Chronicle" considered it a worthy successor to Jackson's previous album "Control", adding "a little sociopolitical substance" as she "bounces between the two extremes of romance and generalized, politically correct topicality."