Portrait of the Blues

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[9]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide	[10]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[11]

Stereo Review deemed the album "a treat," writing that it "benefits from the mellow horn arrangements of Hank Crawford and Benny Golson."^[6] The New Pittsburgh Courier thought that "the disc's lightest moment is provided by a charming duet with Phoebe Snow on 'A Lover's Question'."^[12] The Houston Chronicle wrote that Rawls "has seldom sounded better, and his urbane phrasing is cut with just the right amount of downhome grit."^[13]

The Philadelphia Inquirer declared that "it sounds amazingly retro, a kind of rhythm-and-blues time capsule that's closer to his classic early recordings than anything else in a long time."^[11] The Times opined that Rawls's voice "has lost none of its velvet sheen."^[14] The Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph called Portrait of the Blues "a contemporary blues masterpiece."^[15]

AllMusic wrote that Rawls's "delivery and articulation give the songs an uptown flair."^[8]