Explaining the name of the album, Van Buuren said: "The idea was to 'EMBRACE' several different instruments and sounds, and incorporate them into my sound."[10]
Explaining the album cover, Anton Corbijn said: “I photographed Armin with the idea to modify the public perception of him and of what he is creating. He is such a nice guy, so I worked on giving him a bit more edge visually and created images that hold a mix of references to Sgt. Pepper and Mad Max. Playful stuff basically. Apt for a versatile DJ who adores music and travels the world.”[11]
John Cameron from We Got This Covered felt that despite Armin van Buuren's status as a "full fledged enterprise", the album still "manages to be genuine at all the moments that count".[12] The critic commented that "discerning trance fan[s] of yesteryear" may ridicule pop-centered tracks like "Another You", but nonetheless agreed that tracks "Make It Right" and "Gotta Be Love" still "allow the euphoric, emotional essence of trance to shine through", while calling the lack of instrumental samples heavily suggested in previous van Buuren interviews as a shortcoming of the album. Krystal Spence of Your EDM wrote that Embrace "opens cinematically like his [van Buuren] previous albums", but quickly "changes pace and sounds" throughout the album, notably with electro-trance track "Off The Hook" whose sound failed to complement with the other 14 record songs. She dubbed "Looking For Your Name" as a "beautiful ballad" produced by an electronic artist, but argued: "Unfortunately, it’s not trance. Most of Embrace isn’t."[13]
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