Native Heart

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
El Paso Herald-Post	[13]
Lincoln Journal Star	A−[14]
Los Angeles Times	[15]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[17]
The Windsor Star	B+[18]

The Chicago Tribune called the album a "swinging, if slightly emotionally detached recording."^[7] Spin considered it to be "one of the most reassuringly musical records to emerge from the hard-bop renaissance."^[9] The Gazette noted that "Williams writes long, intricate arrangements that—along with his tendency to bash the stuffing out of his drums—have tended to suffocate his young employees on past outings... Here, he still plays too loud too often, but everybody except Miller mounts an effective counterattack."^[19]

The Los Angeles Times concluded that "the title track's moody, rainy day flavor and the sassy but overextended blues strut of 'Juicy Fruit' are high spots on an album that's long on expert craftsmanship but a bit short on dynamic flair."^[15] The Windsor Star determined that "the Williams splash and verve are at the centre of all the music but it finally does not wholly free itself from its laid-back bounce."^[18] The Philadelphia Inquirer said that "the music has all the Zen-like peace of new-age without the mind-numbing sameness."^[16]

AllMusic deemed Native Heart "the more adventurous side of straight-ahead jazz."^[8]