Keith Farley from
AllMusic described the song as a "
nu-disco slant". Another AllMusic editor, Jose F. Promis, declared it as "electrifying".
Larry Flick from
Billboard magazine wrote that here, frontwoman
Heather Small and the band "deftly blends state-of-the-charts club trends with a reverence for classic
Motown and
R&B sounds. After one spin, you'll be humming the chorus for a week, which is the mark of a true smash." Kendall Morgan from
Dallas Morning News complimented it as "ear candy". Anderson Jones from
Entertainment Weekly viewed it as a number "that has set disco balls spinning across Europe". Dave Sholin from the
Gavin Report said that excitement about "this uptempo winner" is spreading fast and "one listen should explain why." Ben Thompson from
The Independent called it "exceptionally feisty", adding that
contemporary pop-soul does not get much better than this.
Robert Hilburn from
Los Angeles Times named it a "glorious dancefloor record – as spirited a declaration of independence (from a bad relationship) as
Gloria Gaynor's '
I Will Survive'." In his weekly UK chart commentary,
James Masterton viewed it as "another piece of classic
dance pop". Howard Cohen for the
Miami Herald wrote, "The song's got a sassy hook, paired with a glossy fat beat and infectious melody. The song – an 'I Will Survive' for the '90s – is the highlight of M People's
Elegant Slumming". Pan-European magazine
Music & Media concluded that "the '90s will be type-cast as the age of retro, both in
rock and in
dance. These people restore
Funky Town as the capital of good old disco. A floor filler annex airplay hit is born!" Andy Beevers from
Music Week gave the song a full score of five out of five and named it Pick of the Week in the category of Dance, complimenting it as "another dead catchy radio-friendly tune". A reviewer from
The Network Forty called it a "perfect uptempo fun springtime" track.
Newcastle Journal named it "one of the best releases of the year." Stuart Bailie from
NME felt Small "is out in the clear, happy and brilliant, her voice is a thrill, and nobody messes it up with dopey flutes, or any of the other dance gimmicks. A blinder."
Reading Evening Post described it as "funky".
James Hamilton from the
Record Mirror Dance Update named it a "stunningly catchy "
nothing can stop me" chanter". Tom Doyle from
Smash Hits gave it four out of five, adding, "'
One Night in Heaven' proved M People are the finest exponents of the party garage sound. 'Moving On Up' is in much the same vein, except it's better, being a proper happy happy disco record." Jonathan Bernstein from
Spin complimented Small's "smoky"
alto on the "anthemic hit-the-road brio" of the song. Steve Pick from
St. Louis Post-Dispatch commented, "You can hear a straight line from the
Stereo MC's '
Connected' to this, a deep, in-the-pocket groove featuring a jazzy, funky break in the middle and, of course, subtle
tenor saxophone honks. The big difference, aside from the fact that this one isn't quite as catchy, is the presence of a big-voiced disco diva whose
alto tones conjure up dim memories of
Donna Summer, especially on the soaring, nearly exuberant chorus." ==Music video==