Matt Collar reviewed the album for
Allmusic and described it as "eclectic, playful, and often beautiful" highlighting the "ruminative version" of
John Lennon's "
Oh My Love" and the "positively swoon-inducing" "Je te veux" in which
Cécile McLorin Salvant "draws upon the languid, bittersweet influence of
Billie Holiday, while always keeping a smile in her voice". Collar concluded that "Terrasson's original compositions reveal a passion for melody and groove, paired with an adventurous, flowing, stream-of-consciousness post-bop aesthetic that ultimately makes
Gouache a pure joy to hear". Reviewing the album for
JazzTimes, Thomas Conrad felt that Terrasson "...should be ready to make an important record, but Gouache is not one. It is more a sampler of party music than an album statement. Guests come and go. It is also Terrasson's most extended flirtation with pop culture". Dave Gelly reviewed
Gouache for
The Guardian and wrote that Terrasson was "a pianist of such extravagant talents that it sometimes seems he can't decide what to do with them. There have been occasions when his phenomenal technique swamped everything else, but they are getting fewer as the years pass. He creates some truly touching and delicate moments here, in particular a version of Erik Satie's Je te veux, with vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, and a quietly disturbing treatment of Amy Winehouse's Rehab. The authentic Terrasson fireworks still get a good showing among these 10 pieces, though, especially in his own, aptly titled Try to Catch Me". "
Baby" was described by reviewers both as a "jaunty sleigh ride of song, with a euphoric '70s R&B ballad midsection" and as "vacuous a ditty as you've ever sat still for" that Terrasson "speeds...to a blur on acoustic piano and hammers it on
Fender Rhodes. Harmless fun." == Track listing ==