Permission To Fly - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

The reviews for the album have been mostly positive.

Common Sense Media said "While some of the songs have a bubblegum sound and predictable lyrics, there are some very likeable bright spots on the album, including a sassy remake of the Temptations classic, The Way You Do The Things You Do, and the surprisingly jazzy, syncopated Secrets. And, not all of the songs on this album are about boy stuff. Permission to Fly is about finding your own identity; in Unconditional, Jordan reminds us that she's a girl of faith, and how that gets her through the toughest of times. If nothing else, this teen is versatile." They gave the album three out of five stars.

All Music gave the album a mixed review saying, "On her 2008 sophomore outing, Permission To Fly, young Southern singer Jordan Pruitt presents another assured set of Disney-approved pop. While there are no drastic stylistic departures, Pruitt expands on her straightforward teen-pop sound with the reggae-tinged One Love (not to be confused with the Bob Marley song of the same name) and the R&B-leaning Unconditional." They put "One Love", "Uncoditional", and "Simple Things" as the stand-out tracks on the album.

Pop Reviews Now gave the album five stars, saying "When I heard the first few tracks on the album, my first reaction was finally, Disney got something right." "Pruitt's first album was good, it showed off her range and what she could do but it was a bit juvenile. This album on the other hand, is more grown up, but not in the radical or confused way. Her music was and still is very well-defined, it's like a breath of fresh air after a few disasters and it's put Disney back in my good books." "Of course, there are a few tracks which I'm not a big fan of but I just have to say that the production team and everyone involved in the album very clearly gave every single track an enormous amount of attention." They also stated that they didn't like Pruitt's cover of "The Way You Do The Things You Do", and "Permission To Fly." They put "In Love For A Day", "Simple Things", "I'm Gone" and "Unconditional", as the best tracks. They also added the album on their list of "Top Albums of 2008" at number eight.