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The album was released to universal acclaim. It reached number 2 on the German Albums Chart and entered the top five in Switzerland. In Germany, Born & Raised was eventually certified Gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). Denalane's highest-charting record to date, it spawned four singles, including "Let Go", Raekwon-cover "Heaven or Hell", "Sometimes Love" and "Change".
Laut.de editor Alexander Engelen noted that you "couldn't blame the album if it achieved no commercial success" in the United States." He found that Denalane, Herre and "their team did a good job on that. But one must not forget that Madame Denalane is traveling on unknown paths. No German soul singer has made the leap to America before her. However, no one has ever been this close to the dream." Mark Edward Nero from About.com felt that "anyone who grew up on the party music of the last decade might not like or not understand Born & Raised. But anyone who's a fan of Amel Larrieux or Alicia Keys would probably enjoy this CD."
BBC Music critic Ilka Schlockermann complimented the album for its mixture of "real soul songs, strong production and a confident, strong voice." She wrote that "whether Joy’s name is widely enough known to make the cross-over remains to be seen, but on this evidence she has what it takes. Born & Raised pushes all the right R&B buttons. But you can't help but think that the best is yet to come for someone this talented." Melisa Tang, writing for The Situation called the album "an astoundingly good album. She further described it as a "breath of fresh air. love and devotion to her art is obvious through her music."
