Rolling Stone music journalist Nathan Brackett opined, "As a lyricist, West will never possess the pure cool or formal mastery of his mentor Jay-Z, but he's grown as a songwriter." Calling the record a "stomping synth-soul track," Chicago Reader writer Miles Raymer also voiced his appreciation for West's songwriting progression. He observed that "I Wonder" stands as a prime example of the manner in which West was "relying less on old-school beat-and-one-sample combos and more on layered arrangements that camouflage his borrowings. This new subtlety reminds me of Portishead--[West] shows how samples can be used to expand his music's vocabulary." Likewise, Rajveer Kathwadia for RWD Magazine regards West's musicality on the track as the true measurement of his talent, saying the orchestration take center stage over his improvement as a rapper. He continued by writing, "Kanye the rapper doesn’t match the quality of Kanye the producer as he uses some disjointed flow" but nevertheless labeled "I Wonder" as probably his most favorite track from Graduation and an "immaculate piece of music."
