"On Early Riser McFerrin often builds towards an unforseen point without reaching a clear resolution, but this approach occasionally yields positive results. "Postpartum" gradually swells, picking up pieces along the way like a musical Katamari; it never quite achieves liftoff, but the slow, exaggerated stretch is pleasing regardless ... That moment of release finally arrives on the album-closing "PLS DNT LISTEN", a necessary jolt of adrenaline on an album that otherwise takes its time thawing out. At its conclusion, Early Riser's title proves a misnomer-this is an album built for slow weekend mornings spent in bed with a loved one more than brisk, early-morning runs".