Critical Reception
Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music UK said that with the track, Ciara "lucked into the sexiest thing to happen to pop since Timberlake's own FutureSex/LoveSounds," calling the song one of the "biggest anthems of the year." Gennoe went on to call the song the "highlight" and "saving grace" of Fantasy Ride. Nick Levine of Digital Spy said that "the track itself is nearly as sexy as the promo clip", commenting "Ciara purrs, and Timberlake, if you'll pardon the pun, more than rises to the occasion. All in all, 'Love Sex Magic' is pretty much spot on." Lauren Carter of the Boston Herald said "It’s not quite magic, but it grows on you." Although stating that it may be "light pop fluff," Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song four out of five stars, calling it a "fun track" that would get "mainstream pop audiences dancing and singing along." Lamb commented that a "funky guitar and appearance by Justin Timberlake may be just enough to carry her back near the top of the pop chart." Jeremy Medina of Entertainment Weekly said, "Hooking up with Timberlake essentially guarantees a one-way ticket back to chart supremacy, so nice work there, Ciara." Medina went on to call the song an early candidate for "song of the summer."
Jon Caramanica welcomed the "female aggression" presented by Ciara on the track. Caramanica called it an unexpected twist, calling Ciara "still curiously anonymous". She noted that Timberlake, not a "vocal powerhouse" himself, out-sings Ciara on the track. Tom Breihan of Pitchfork Media said that the song was not bad and complimented the song's disco feel. He said that it gained Ciara a "radio foothold that had been hers to lose a couple of years ago", and commented that it seemed like "a bargain-basement Justin Timberlake track, the sort of thing he could've had lying around in a closet somewhere nearly three years after FutureSex/LoveSounds." Breihan pointed out that "Timberlake's nerdy swagger really highlights Ciara's total lack of presence." Jordan Sargent of PopMatters criticized the song for being generic, calling it "a formulaic FutureSex/LoveSounds disco retread", commenting "The song probably could’ve been given to any struggling female singer and become a hit, and the fact that Ciara had to use it as her parachute is as puzzling as it is unfortunate." Andy Kellman of Allmusic called the song a "hobbling flop" and said that it was "easily forgettable."
At the 52nd Grammy Awards, "Love Sex Magic" was nominated for the award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. It lost to Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat's "Lucky."
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