Critical Reception
"Black Coffee" received positive reviews from most music critics. Siobhan Grogan from NME said "It's wistful in all the right places ("I wouldn't want to take everything out on you/Though I know I do"), and makes sadness sound rather alluring like only the bitterest love songs can." She finished saying; " You might be sick of their faces, but if they keep coming up with songs like this, they can stay on the radio a little longer. God damn them." Jon O'Brien from Allmusic described the song along with "Pure Shores" a "lush electronic soundscapes" and said the girls "indicated a band at the top of the game." Cameron Adams from Herald Sun rated the song four-and-a-half out of five stars, and listed the song on his Best Songs of 2000 List. Russell Baillie from New Zealand Herald said along with "Surrender"; "both of which put most everything else here in the shade." Nigel Packer from BBC Music had highlighted the song on the album.
Neil Hannon from The Guardian had listed the song on the "The Hidden Gems That Have Pop Stars Hooked":
"People always say: Well, I like the early work of so-and-so. Me, I like the later work of All Saints. The William Orbit stuff. It's ultra-produced, but for once this adds to the sound of it, rather than taking anything away. Black Coffee is particularly good. Girls Aloud do pop like that now: songs like Biology are a bit weird, and they flout the general rules, and I admire that. But Black Coffee is better. I got into it when I'd got over – what should we call it? – my first flush of fame. My "tricky period". When I'm down in the dumps, I get cheered up by plastic pop. It's clear as crystal; it's hardly there. If you want it intellectual and soulful, you can look to the Pet Shop Boys. But if you just want it to buoy you up, you've got songs like this."
Read more about this topic: Black Coffee (All Saints Song)
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