"[10] The Oregonian labeled The Bluff "13 defiantly simple compositions of guitar, organ and drums, overlaid with Dougher's signature alto.

"[14] The Orange County Register noted "the bruising of heartbreak stripped bare for microscopic examination, while soothing, catchy melodies emanate from the lab next door.

"[16] The Village Voice said that, "befitting an academic who moonlights as a rock 'n' roller, Dougher's songs are finely wrought, with pop-classicist melodies even more eloquent than their extended metaphors.

"[7] Pitchfork determined that The Bluff "is an easy album to digest, cleaner, more cautious, and less raw than Dougher's previous, The Walls Ablaze...

[17][18] AllMusic praised the "deeply bare, honest, and piercing ruminations on the struggle to balance intellect and emotion and finding hope and healing amid love's losses.