The Abbey Road Sessions received generally positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic, which assigns a
normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average score of 68, based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
The Guardians Caroline Sullivan said the more older songs on the album "sculpts them into grownup love songs sung by a Kylie who sounds [...] like a fortysomething woman who has encountered a few slings and arrows along the way." Matthew Horton of
Virgin Media compared the album to
Tori Amos and
Pete Gabriel, writing that "[i]t's a brave gambit. Orchestral arrangements work well enough with the more expansive pop songs." He concluded, "Kylie's in warm, seductive voice. There's a touch of the nasal squeaks here and there, but that's just a hint of familiarity in an otherwise intriguing new adventure." Andy Gill of
The Independent said the album worked out "impressively", calling it "a more traditional makeover, an attempt to give a more elegant lustre to callow pop kitsch, usually by slowing the song down and loading on strings." Jeff Katz from
Idolator awarded the album four-and-a-half out of five, praising the reinvention of her collection stating "in terms of marketing, as the gorgeous orchestration sets great expectations for the album as a whole. And as weʼve come to expect from Kylie, she delivers." Tim Sendra from
AllMusic stated that the re-invention of the album consisted "class", that the reworked songs were "very effective" and that he'd enjoyed every song except "The Loco-Motion". He concluded: "(s)he's always been willing to take risks, and despite the initial thought that her music may not stand up to the orchestral treatment, The Abbey Road Sessions is another victory in a career full of them." Scott Kara of
The New Zealand Herald opined "the hit-and-miss quality of the album doesn't matter one bit for the simple reason this is one for the fans—who will no doubt absolutely adore it, darling." Robert Copsey of
Digital Spy wrote that "the whole record [...] shows a rarely-seen maturity in Kylie; and it suits her remarkably well", adding that the new reworks of the songs were "interesting".
Annie Zaleski from
The A.V. Club graded the album B, stating the album "makes a solid case for her longevity [...] these songs are transformed into timeless, classy compositions." Marc Hirsh from
The Boston Globe stated the album fits in "neatly" to her K25 anniversary and "creates a palpable sense of physical space." However, Simon Gage of the
Daily Express stated that "[i]t's not that it's bad, just frankly a little daft" and also compared it to Tori Amos. John Meager of
The Irish Independent wrote that Kylie "isn't a good enough singer to be able to shoulder a project like this" and the album "sadly [...] the whole thing falls flat on its face." Jon O'Brien of
Yahoo! Music was more positive by writing "
The Abbey Road Sessions doesn't always hit the mark. But it's an always intriguing and regularly enchanting concept which proves just how under-rated both Kylie's vocal ability and back catalogue is." Jenny Stevens of
NME was more scathing, awarding it three out of ten, stating that "Confide in Me" is "worthwhile in an otherwise sorry array of pop bangers left soggy on the barbecue." ==Commercial performance==