Based on the success of lead single "Contagious",Eternal peaked at number 3 on the USBillboard 200 chart, while also topping at number 1 on theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, eventually going Platinum. The first album the Isleys released as a duo in over a decade (the first as Ronald and Ernie),Marvin Isley left the group after suffering a bout with diabetes, which later caused both of his legs to be amputated),Ernie Isley also showcase his talents as aguitarist in songs like "Move Your Body" and the aptly titled "Ernie's Jam" while Ronald was still as vocally strong on this album as he had been throughout the Isley Brothers' legendary catalogue.
Blender critic Dan Epstein wrote: "For this album, the two bring in friendsR. Kelly,Angela Winbush,Jill Scott,Lucy Pearl’sRaphael Saadiq, and producersJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – with lively results [...] The oldest hit machine in R&B still has it.[2]AllMusic editor Liana Jonas found that while "there is nothing groundbreaking on this recording, the longtime R&B legends prove they're still very much worth their salt and can keep up very well with the Joneses. Indeed, the Isley Brothers are eternal."[1]
Tamara Harris, writing forThe Detroit Metro Times, concluded: "A hardworking track record of solid sounds and everything needed to call all fans of rhythmic blues is here; that is why they call this CD Eternal."[3]PopMatters editor Mark Anthony Neal found that it "is understandable thatEternal often lapses into contemporary black pop drivel. Perhaps it is a tribute to Ronald Isley that he can do so when others of his generation have long moved on the senior Circuit. Despite some shortcomings, Eternal is a fitting testament to the longevity of [the] group."[4]
Eternal debuted and peaked at number 3 on theBillboard 200 chart for the week of August 25, 2001 with first week sales of 225,500 copies,[5] becoming the Isley Brothers' highest-charting project since their 1975 number one albumThe Heat Is On.[6] It was certified Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 10, 2001.[7] By May 2003, the album had sold 1.2 million in the US, according toNielsen SoundScan.[6]
