Bloom is the second album by the American musical duo Billy Pilgrim, released in 1995.[2][3] The duo was dropped by Atlantic Records the following year.[4][5]

The album peaked at No. 37 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart.[6] The first single was "Sweet Louisiana Sound", which was a minor radio hit.[7][8] The duo promoted the album by playing shows with Blessid Union of Souls and labelmate Mary Karlzen, among others.[9][10]

Production

The album was produced by Richard Dodd.[11] It was recorded at Treasure Isle Studios, in Nashville.[12] The backing band included Mike Campbell, Sonny Landreth, and Garry Tallent.[13][14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[11]

The Vancouver Sun wrote that the "lead track, 'Sweet Louisiana Sound', is an upbeat four-four kicker with a hint of a bayou twang that resists the duo's propensity for overly earnest, over-simplified, folk pop."[16] The Columbus Dispatch called the album "better in almost every way than the group's self-titled debut: catchier, tougher when need be, lyrically more compelling."[17]

The San Diego Union-Tribune determined that "the soaring vocal harmonies of Andrew Hydra and Kristian Bush and jamming rhythm guitars can invoke Don Henley and The Eagles."[14] The Record deemed the album "outstanding," writing that "Billy Pilgrim makes folk-based pop music the way it was meant to be made."[18] The Daily Herald concluded that Bloom "places the group somewhere between the jangly guitar-rock sound of the Gin Blossoms and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the more countrified 'heartland rock' approach of the Jayhawks, Wilco and the BoDeans."[19]

AllMusic wrote that "although sonically consistent and clean, the overall feel of the album is a bit sterile, a tad slick, a touch predictable."[15]

Track listing

References