"The most beautiful music is probably the type one comes across unexpectedly and the type that immediately excites. That's what happened to me with Todd McKenzie. When I heard his debut album I instantly fell in love. This could be down to the bafflingly open yet coherent way in which hip-hop is interpreted here.
'...I'll call you back' likes to take unexpected turns. On one hand we have lazily dragging beats, on the other a rhyme style that sounds distinctly British. In the next track Todd flows into a more dreamy, sing-song style that sits ever so slightly off-key without being comedic. This is followed by smoother electronica and re-occurring voices in the background predominantly taken from answer machine samples. In approximately 30 minutes he cooks, out of these ingredients, the missing link between Goldie Looking Chain and Anticon/Lex releases "
- Groove Magazine (Germany) -
"Somehow very extraordinary rap-record, that starts off with sounds, that could be equally at home on an Oval record. They don't however submerge in a thunderstorm of soundscapes, but are more surrounded by smooth beats and intricate grooves, that are underpinned by the kind of rhymes, that bring back the believe, that there is still a world in which stories are being told, away from the treaded path that hip hop has become. A sometimes demanding flow, that leads into the offside, only to be one of the most original things that i have heard in this genre for a while.
A calm album, on which soundscapes and raps continuously interchange without causing friction between them."
- De Bug Magazine (Germany) -
Reviews interpreted by Juergen Junker (Neurhythmics)
"Unique debute from Todd Mckenzie. Raw UK talent that needs exposure!"
- Trevor Jackson (Output) -
"So, it's here. The debut release from the exciting concentrated people label. I've been found banging on about how good Todd Mckenzie is and anyone who has witnessed his fresh live performances will know half of what to expect here, but the other half may well be entirely not you were thinking it would be. The most crucial aspect of his music is the blend of musicality, hip hop, jazz, electronics and beautifully refined vocals, sung, rapped or spoken. The combination of these is refreshing, deep, engaging and, contrary to most music these days, actually saying something, be it about life, relationships or politics. Ambience, beats, funkiness, darkness and melancholy are the overriding themes of this lovingly put together work and once you've experienced Todd, you'll never look back. Seriously good, seriously grooving, always enchanting... highly, highly recommended."
- Smallfish Records -