I Need You (album) - Critical Response

Critical Response

Mark Huxley at Barnes & Noble gave a positive review of the album, saying that Rimes is "comfortably adopting some distinctly modern sonic elements without sacrificing her tradition-steeped country roots." Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly gave a mixed review about the album, saying "The good news about Rimes' latest: It reprises two songs, 'But I Do Love You' and 'Can't Fight the Moonlight,' from the Coyote Ugly soundtrack. Now the bad: You'll snooze through the rest, except 'Written in the Stars', her slugfest duet with Elton John. If only you could sleep through that." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic also gave a mixed review, stating that "Rimes' impressive voice sounds restrained in this setting, too self-consciously mature. In a nutshell, that's the problem with I Need You -- it's a teenager attempting to make a thirtysomething album. That she occasionally succeeds is a testament to her vocal talents and the skills of her producers, but it shouldn't be surprising that it also feels awkward for large stretches, never quite becoming as alluring as Breathe, because this is a sound that she needs to grow into to be totally convincing." Rolling Stone gave the album two-and-a-half out of five stars and called the album "synthetic-feeling." Trisha Huenke of About.com gave the album four out of five stars and praised it for its pop sound, stating that, "Finally we have an artist who is straightforward about the fact that she wants to sing pop music."