Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Robert Christgau | (B) |
| Rolling Stone | |
Reviews for Kissing to Be Clever have been generally mixed to positive. Allmusic's Lindsay Planer rated it four out of five stars. She noted that it "was embraced by not only post-disco dance music enthusiasts, but also new wave listeners and pop fans as well." She also stated that the singles "provide accurate thumbnail sketches of what Culture Club were capable of pulling off musically." She concluded by saying: "From the light and buoyant Philly soul-inspired string arrangement to the effervescent and singalongable chorus, the melody foreshadowed a similar vibe that would carry over to their sophomore long-player, Colour by Numbers." Robert Christgau rated the album a B, explaining that "for all fashionability I think their hearts are in the right place". However, he stated that "their bland Caribbean rhythms move no muscles, and their confrontations with racial issues are rarely more than a phrase deep." Lloyd Sachs rated it three-and-a-half out of five stars, explaining that the album "positively jumps, from the pleasure-seeking masochism of "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" to the fearful soul-searching of "I'm Afraid of Me" to the shady "I'll Tumble 4 Ya"". He further stated that " vocal "normalcy" against the provocative content of the material." He concluded that "the beat does special service to the message – even when we don't quite know what that message is."
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