Bloomed

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[4]
Orlando Sentinel	[12]
Pitchfork	8.1/10[13]

The Washington Post wrote that "Buckner's compelling, dust-streaked voice and his knack for visual detail and unexpected metaphor make him a natural disciple of the Lubbock church, but he's still a novice when it comes to the rites of irreverent humor."^[14] The Nashville Scene thought that "Buckner’s ghostly, sensual voice is the perfect vehicle for his bittersweet songs of parting and regret—he often sounds like Dwight Yoakam, only less self-conscious and more literate."^[15] The Orlando Sentinel praised Buckner's "genuinely lovely, earthy baritone."^[12]

The Chicago Tribune determined that Bloomed "starts off strong with several melodically driving tunes and cutting lyrical introspection, but after that engaging intro the proceedings start to drag."^[16] The Austin American-Statesman considered it "a sorrowful, almost frighteningly emotional album loaded with regrets."^[17] Spin listed it as the 19th best album of 1995.^[18]

AllMusic thought that "Maines and his small crew of musicians ... give Buckner's songs all the care they deserve, adding to the nuances of the melodies and moods with a master's touch, and Maines' own steel guitar work is especially striking."^[10] In a 1997 concert review, The New York Times noted the "dark, poetic lining to his sparse songs, an edge that made his album Bloomed one of 1995's most compelling debuts."^[19] Reviewing a 1999 reissue, Pitchfork wrote that "when Buckner veers closer to traditional folk, he invests his songs with an almost apocalyptic urgency."^[13]