AllMusic critic
Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that the album "tries to reach a middle ground between the two extremes '
Tears in Heaven' and '
Change the World', balancing tortured lyrics with smooth sonic surfaces". Erlewine goes on in his review, criticising both Eric Clapton's and Simon Climie's production: "The problem lies in the production, which relies entirely on stiff mechanical drumbeats, gauzy synthesizers, and meandering instrumental interludes. These ingredients could result in a good record, as 'Change the World' demonstrated, but not here, due to [the album's] monotonous production". The music critic also notes Clapton's singing and playing is weird on
Pilgrim, noting "Clapton doesn't want to shake things up – his singing is startlingly mannered, even on emotionally turbulent numbers like 'My Father's Eyes' or 'Circus'. Even worse, he's content to take a back seat instrumentally, playing slight solos and fills as colorless as the electronic backdrops". Comparing the album to the hit releases
Journeyman,
From the Cradle and
Unplugged, Erlewine finishes his review for AllMusic, calling the 1998 studio effort full of "blandness" and "disappointing".
Rolling Stone journalist David Wild recalls: "
Pilgrim will not thrill those looking for From the Cradle II – most of this state-of-the-charts album sounds absolutely nothing like any record
Muddy Waters ever made. But it's still a blues album in the sense that it captures the sound of a man trying to tame hellhounds from within and without. In the end,
Pilgrim is not purely anything, except purely moving". He awarded the release four out of five possible stars.
Billboard magazine's Paul Verna thinks, nearly all the material on
Pilgrim falls short of what Clapton's fans expect. He goes on in his review, stating
Pilgrim sounds like a
demo recording, however, Verna also likes some of the album's tracks, but calls
Pilgrim a release, which does not live up to Clapton's giant legacy. Music journalists from the
People magazine think the album occasionally offers "moments of surpassing beauty", but note "at 75 minutes,
Pilgrim is one long, slow slog, interrupted by only two or three uptempo tunes. Listening is like sitting through a film you much admire but fervently wish would hurry up and end". Critics from
Entertainment Weekly recall: "It's impossible to fault [Clapton] for any ongoing numbness from his loss. But the truly sad thing about
Pilgrim – for Clapton and maybe all of us – is that not even music may have the power to heal certain types of pain". The website rated the release with a "B−". ==Track listing==