AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that, "at times, [Sammie's] voice does sound a little thin, but for the most part, it's surprisingly soulful and convincing – not as stunning and assured as the young Michael Jackson, but certainly a lot better than most child singers. If he's not yet skillful enough to disguise the sometimes uneven material, that's still forgivable, because the tracks that do work, work really well [...] The end result is the same: From the Bottom to the Top is entertaining, but not always engaging. Still, we have to remember that this is a debut album from a child singer. Judged on that basis, it's charming and, at times, impressive. Sammie does well this time out, and he'll probably do better next time around."[1] Stephanie Smith from Vibe wrote: "Sammie is able to show that despite his lack of facial hair – due to the encumbrance of preadolescence – he can sing. Although this CD is mainly bubble gum pop, it's still fun to listen to and reminisce about that crush in sixth grade or playing kickball after school."[3]