turned up on early albums from Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey. Guerra concluded that Beyoncé "rarely has sounded so charming, even as she soars through several key changes." Mikael Wood of Spin magazine noted that the song "imagines a perfect genetic splice" of Whitney Houston's eponymous debut album and Michael Jackson's Off the Wall. Ricky Schweitzer of One Thirty BPM stated that "Love On Top" is instantaneously reminiscent of Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Stevie Wonder, and favored Beyoncé's numerous key changes, writing: 'Love On Top' employs a similar pacing [to 'Party'], though tonally, this track reminds one more immediately of Michael and Janet Jackson, as well as Stevie Wonder. This effervescent throwback escapes corniness by reveling in its pure joy and as such, it becomes one of the highlights of the album. The numerous key changes that flood the end of the song could seem masturbatory, but Beyoncé is not proving that she can sing as high as Mariah [Carey] or Whitney [Houston] because we already trust her to. It is energy and not ego that drives the constantly rising progression. Becky Bain of the website Idolator viewed "Love On Top" as a "joyful tune that doubles as a throwback to a simpler time" and added that Beyoncé's energy is "infectious". Conrad Tao of Sputnikmusic very much liked "Love On Top", writing: "[...] as she forces herself into a rarely used high range, she sets for a perfect catharsis for the burgeoning sexual passions of the album's first two thirds", and describing the outcome as "absolutely magnificent". Melinda Newman of HitFix commented "the soulful, exuberant, mid-tempo finger snapper, 'Love on Top' is deliciously sunny and sweet." James Reed of The Boston Globe wrote that "Love On Top" sounds "like the pretty young thing of Michael Jackson's 'P.Y.T.' grew up to make a sequel to that 1983 hit." Similarly, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK who described "Love On Top" as "scream[ing] 'classic disco', catchy, [being] more uptempo and differing from the rest of the album", concluded that the song shows Beyoncé's versatility and that it is "very Jackson 5". Ben Cardew of Music Week stated that "Love On Top" is summery and "laidback, rather than massively immediate". However, he added that it proves to be a grower as it "ratchets up the key changes on the final third", further writing that Beyoncé's voice sounds "particularly impressive". A mixed