"...Dean’s star power is radiant and fueled by more than just charisma. She grooves in perfect time with an expertly assembled band, navigating through blaring trumpets, trombones, and saxophones with a delicate attention to detail and synchronicity. Their arrangements linger for a while on the bluesy “Close Up” as she ruminates on mixed signals, while “Baby Steps” studies every page of the Motown playbook and “A Couple Minutes” aches to be a duet. These records start to make sense of why Dean wants to keep her distance, romanticize the weekends, and rebuild her walls when the party is over. She won’t put her heart on the line again until she’s sure it’s in safe hands.

The Art of Loving finds its strength in these pockets of restraint where Dean’s more melancholic moments put down roots, like in the swelling strings of the intimate and haunting “Loud.” She digs deepest on “Let Alone the One You Love,” a career high point that could stand alongside classics from Amy Winehouse and Adele, even Beyoncé back when she still made R&B ballads. Dean reached for those heights with her 2023 debut, Messy, which included the breakout hits “Dive” and “The Hardest Part,” though she got closest with the one-off “What Am I Gonna Do on Sundays?” Regardless, The Art of Loving pushes Dean into an elevated tier.

It matches the height of the standards she holds herself to. “Is it thinking too high of myself to not wannat to be sad?” she asks on “Something in InBetween,” breaking away from stagnant constraints. “Love needs breathing/I’m not his, I’m not hers, I’m not your all or nothing s.” Her introspection continues on “Lady Lady,” where the sentiment of unexpected change is mirrored by sharp melodic shifts. The jazzy outro of the song plays like the final scene of a film where heartbreak doesn’t triumph, but neither does happily ever after. Dean is still figuring out love. “Something lost and something gained in the art of loving,” she sings on the title track. Maybe it has all been said before. But not by her. That makes all the difference."

- Rolling Stone