a writer of "urb" compared adele's voice with a "'[19]40s, piano-vixen lounge singer." john murphy of musicomh wrote that "rumour has it has more sass, a brilliant blues/soul anthem with more fantastic drumming and a cute lyrical twist at the end." while reviewing "21", gary mcginley of no ripcord called the song a "potential single" from the album, while ian wade of bbc online called it a "literally banging" song. jim farber of "daily news" wrote that adele "mined a bayou stomp" the catchy "rumour has it." allison stewart of "the washington post" wrote that "'rumour has it' is set in a fictional universe where dusty springfield fronts the ronettes." sputnikmusic's joseph viney chose the song as the best on the album, praising its "pounding drums, sweet vocal harmonies and a tale of love both won and lost with some alacrity."