"Rhythm of Love" is primarily a dance-pop album, marking a departure from the bubblegum pop music of Minogue's earlier work. It has a more dance-oriented production and instrumentation, which includes saxophone and guitar. "Select" Andrew Harrison said most of the album "goose-steps to Stock Aitken Waterman's mercilessly mutated house beat" while Marc Andrews from "Smash Hits" stated "Rhythm of Love" "is not as 'different' as it could have been", with the majority of the tracks being "familiar "boompy-tee-boomp" backbeat, swirling strings and relentless thumping drums". He also said the album is "pretty much a cracking pop outing" overall. Cameron Adams from the "Herald Sun" considered it the first album "that tried to inject some R&B" into Minogue's output.