Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that releasing the Spanish-language "Fijación Oral, Vol. 1" after the success of the English-language "Laundry Service" was a "sharp move", complimenting the album for demonstrating that Shakira "can not only return to her roots, but expand upon them". He described "La Tortura" as a "natural for American radio", and felt that the parent album generated anticipation for the upcoming "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2". Writing for "PopMatters", Matt Cibula praised the album for its musical departure from "Laundry Service", applauding the integration of subtle samples across several songs as "great nods to the sounds of the 1980s". Dave Simpson of "The Guardian" compared Shakira to a "Latin American Madonna", describing her vocals as reminiscent of "Cher and Hazel O'Connor, produced by Julio Iglesias".