Matthew Chisling of AllMusic found the album an improvement over This Is Me, praising the production for containing both retro and modern beats, and Black as a performer and songwriter, concluding that "On Revival, we see so many sides of a truly multi-dimensional Black who, thanks to more than a decade of struggle and failure, releases a powerful showing of delicious Rhythm & Blues to her fans and leaves them coming back for more. Black has improved in every aspect, and establishes herself as a truly credible R&B Canadian diva who deserves heaps of praise and success; Canada, you've found your Mary J."[2] Ryan B. Patrick of Exclaim! also gave praise to the production but said that listeners might be put off by it playing safe and yearn for Black's trademark genre-mixing sound, concluding that, "In the grand scheme of things however, its remarkable that a Canadian R&B artist even gets to record a sophomore disc, much less one as ambitious as this. Revival rocks rightly, plays it safe and essentially ensures Black a lengthy and award-winning Canadian career."[4] Jason Richards, writing for NOW, was critical of the album's single "Seven Day Fool" and felt that it carried over on the production sounding mainstream and radio-friendly, concluding that "[T]he canned production is undeservedly insipid and needlessly limits Black's potent and versatile energy. The only highlight is "Wishing", which makes brilliant use of a whistling sample heard in Kill Bill."[3]
| Title | Writer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "DJ Play My Song" | Jully Black, Keith Harris, Johnny "Natural" Najera | 5:22 |
|---|
| 2. | "Seven Day Fool" | Berry Gordy, Jr., Sonny Woods, Tyran Carlo | 3:25 |
|---|
| 3. | "Queen" | Black, Harris, Timothy Orindgreff, Printz Board | 4:32 |
|---|
| 4. | "Just A Moment" | Black, Bobby Cameron, Harris | 3:44 |
|---|
| 5. | "Catch Me When I Fall" | Black, Andrew J. Thompson, Harris, Sam T. Williams, George Pajon | 4:18 |
|---|
| 6. | "My Baby" | Black, Harris, Clarence Johnson, Ralph Larry Eskridge, Randolph Murph | 4:49 |
|---|
| 7. | "Never Lost My Sight" | Black, Hawksley Workman, Harris, John Southworth | 3:50 |
|---|
| 8. | "Temporary Insanity" | Black, Harris, Harrell Harris Jr. | 4:40 |
|---|
| 9. | "Until I Stay" | Black, Harris, Ian Thornley | 3:37 |
|---|
| 10. | "Wishing" | Bernard Herrmann, Black, Harris | 4:17 |
|---|
| 11. | "Mystery" | Black, Simon Wilcox, Ron Lopata, Harris | 4:54 |
|---|
- "My Baby" contains an interpolation and sample of "Love Jones" by Clarence Johnson, Ralph Larry Eskridge and Randolph Murph performed by Brighter Side of Darkness.
- "Wishing" contains elements from "Twisted Nerve" written and composed by Herrmann.
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Revival.[5]
[2]