Love Letter for Fire

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The A.V. Club	B+[4]
Consequence of Sound	B[5]
The Guardian	[6]
musicOMH	[7]
Paste	7.9/10[8]
Pitchfork	7.5/10[9]
PopMatters	[10]

Love Letter for Fire received largely positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 79, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[2]

Emmanuel Elone of PopMatters praised the album, stating, "By playing on the strengths of both artists while minimizing any deficiencies each may have, Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop have mastered the collaborative album. Where Iron & Wine can sound a bit too sleepy, Hoop plays up her vocals or instrumentation to keep the music lively; if she begins to make her performance a bit too grandiose, Beam is there to keep her feet on level ground. As a whole, Love Letter for Fire is the sonic equivalent of sitting in front of a campfire on the starry night with a couple of close friends strumming their acoustic guitar; it’s bucolic, simple, and guaranteed to delight. So grab some hot chocolate, put on the most comfortable pair of sweatpants that you can find, and let Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop serenade you with their majestic voices. If that’s not magical, nothing is."[10]

Allison Hussey of Pitchfork Media gave the album a favorable review, stating, "Instead of a love letter to consuming blazes, Hoop's and Beam's collection appeals to our individual internal pilot lights: those softly smoldering flames that illuminate moments of beauty in ourselves, in each other, and beyond."[9] Mark Deming of AllMusic gave the album a favorable review, stating, "Love Letter for Fire sounds like Beam and Hoop were born to work together. The yin and yang of their individual perspectives fit together marvelously, and this rests comfortably with the best of both their recorded works."[3]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Love Letter for Fire.[12]

Main personnel

• Sam Beam – guitar, vocals, songwriting
• Jesca Hoop – guitar, vocals, songwriting
• Rob Burger – keyboards, string arrangement
• Sebastian Steinberg – bass
• Edward Rankin-Parker – cello
• Glenn Kotche – drums, percussion
• Eyvind Kang – violin, viola

Additional personnel

• Tucker Martine – production, recording, mixing
• Michael Finn – assistant engineering
• Richard Dodd – mastering
• John Golden – vinyl mastering
• Keegan Curry – additional technician assistance
• Josh Wool – back cover photography
• Lissa Gotwals – front cover photography
• Dusty Summers – design
• Jesca Hoop – design
• Sam Beam – design