The album scored 65 / 100 on Metacritic, based on ten reviews, indicating a generally favourable response.[2] Mark Deming of AllMusic thought it an "honestly good album" in which the artist "has chosen duet partners with intelligence". He judged that Van Morrison's "vocals lack the power and emotional force he so easily conjured in the '70s, but his sense of phrasing is as soulful and idiosyncratic as it has ever been". While it is "a long way from a triumph, it's a solid, heartfelt work from a veteran artist who isn't about to give up the ghost." In a rave review, Rolling Stone said that the singer "unearths lost classics with all-star friends", and "digs up deep cuts from mostly overlooked albums."[4]
Duets debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 23,[5] and at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums chart,[6] selling 21,000 copies in its first week.[7] The album had sold 77,000 copies in the US as of August 2016.[8]
In 2015, Morrison sold the rights to most of his catalogue to Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music.[9]Duets was his first album recorded following that deal.[10]