Insomniac (Enrique Iglesias Album) - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave to the album 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing: "'Insomniac' is pushed to a younger audience. But Enrique is too much of a crossover guy to spend the entire album doing the nasty. Sometimes, he pushes too hard in either direction, but sometimes Iglesias strikes the right balance between crossover pop and stylish retro-new wave production. What works on this slick, snazzy makeover is what always works for him: the ballads and the middle-of-the-road pop tunes. They may not be hip, but they're part of the family tradition, and when he sticks to them, he's as good as ever." Lauren Murphy from Entertainment.ie criticized the songs, writing: "Every track here is either a sombre, mumbled, slow-moving number that sounds dated and cumbersome, cheesy radio-friendly dirges that have been done a million times before and better or are just so amateur-sounding that they're embarrassing." Jonathan Bernstein from Entertainment Weekly wrote "Insomniac sees Iglesias possessed by the vengeful spirit of Toad the Wet Sprocket ("Stay Here Tonight"), outshone by Lil Wayne on the plodding club banger Push, and, yes, upstaged by a sampled Ping-Pong ball on Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)."

Jerome Blakeney from BBC Music gave to the album a positive review, stating that "He remains the king of latin-tinged heart-tugging and at least half of this album keeps him firmly on top." Joey Guerra from Houston Chronicle also gave to the album a positive review, writing: "Insomniac's secret weapons, however, are its ballads, which cast Iglesias as — of course — a sensitive, soulful Spanish lover." Scott Shelter wrote for Slant Magazine that "The ballads are disappointing because the rest of Insomniac isn't half bad, and if all of the ballads were like the acoustic 'Don't You Forget About Me", Insomniac would've been worthwhile effort; instead, it's a case study in ironic album titles."