Glad Rag Doll received generally positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average score of 76, based on 12 reviews. Brendon Veevers of
Renowned for Sound commented, "Upon first glance of the new record it would appear that Krall has taken a 'sex sells' approach to marketing as we are presented with a scantily clad songbird draped over red velvet in all but some rather revealing black lingerie, however, don't judge a CD by its sleeve as the contents within are anything but sex driven. Although a covers collection
Glad Rag Doll reveals itself to be, over a running time of just shy of an hour, a record that could easily be one of Krall's best work to date". Christopher Loudon of
JazzTimes noted, "Though her voice seems to have grown a shade more tenuous since 2009's
Quiet Nights, she remains one of the most compelling balladeers around. Indeed, her slightly heightened fragility only adds to the tranquil beauty of 'Prairie Lullaby,' the redemptive ache of 'Let It Rain,' the hollowness of Doc Pomus' brilliantly atmospheric 'Lonely Avenue' (one of two tracks of more recent vintage) and the road-weariness of 'Wide River to Cross' (also newer). And Krall is masterful in her interpretations of the delicately contemplative title track (explored solely with Ribot, who is equally transfixing) and the melodramatic playlet 'Here Lies Love,' with its marvelous faux-dirge propulsion". ==Commercial performance==