All We Need (album)

Critical reception

All We Need received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67 based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".

Marcus Dowling of HipHopDX gave high praise to album's multiple genre-hopping production and Raury's performance that evoke lyrics of optimism and melancholia reminiscent of Outkast and Arrested Development, concluding that "This isn’t an album, it’s the spiritual essence of the joy beyond the pain." Kyle Mullin of Exclaim! commented that Raury was more of a borrower of influences than finding his own style but gave praise to his messages and unique approach to sound, singling out "Friends" as who he truly is, concluding that it "bodes well for an eager young talent who not only has impeccable taste in mentors, but is also finding a strong voice of his own that's sure to inspire coming generations." Jamie Milton of DIY praised Raury for channelling his madcap artistic vision into a focused debut album, concluding that "It could be more unhinged, it could have been a chaotic, crazed mission statement – instead it’s further proof that Raury’s trade is in playing the unexpected hand."

Harriet Gibsone of The Guardian was ambivalent towards the album, feeling the songs were lost in their own messages, saying that "At times, Raury’s energy is more intriguing than his songwriting, and while the lack of cynicism in his lyrics is refreshing, you can’t help but question his decision to play the pop preacher." Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork said that the album felt like a rehash of his Indigo Child mixtape, noting that the songs have unrefined mixes of different genres and told the same tales, saying that "With an album replete with Spanish guitar jams, wide-eyed hip-hop, and psychedelic rock k-holes, there isn't much ground left for Raury to cover." Adam Kivel of Consequence of Sound admired Raury for spreading his view of the world but found it mired by his choice in mismatched instrumentals and vocal delivery, saying that, "All We Need's unflinching sincerity and positivity come with an equal portion of inconsistent, scattered focus."