AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that "while there are a number of cooks in the kitchen [...] I Need an Angel, winds up being cohesive since it's all coming from the same perspective. It's all easy-rolling, smooth, and polished slow grooves, sometimes easing by on the sound of the record, other times gelling quite nicely thanks to some sturdily written and arranged songs [...] So, while it has no standout cuts, on the whole I Need an Angel winds up being a bit more solid than his proper debut.[1]People noted that "on this gospel excursion, the cuddly singer takes it back to church, and whereas he never seemed quite comfortable in his role as R&B; love man on last year's debut, Soulful, he seems totally in his element here. Studdard is clearly inspired to perform songs he grew up on."[2]