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“Pete Rock And CL Smooth’s debut EP, All Souled Out, was the perfect set-up – and bridge to – their flawless LP, Mecca & The Soul Brother, which appeared only one year later. Fans new and old are sure to know the EP’s only single, “The Creator.” The cut is a perfect slice of early ‘90s hip-hop –upyempo, rolling along at a sprinter’s pace with killer horns that sew up the chorus. Interestingly, it’s the only song on the EP where Pete Rock rhymes (and solo at that, with lines written by Brand Nubian’s Grand Puba).

The remaining five of the EP’s songs, with CL Smooth in full charge of the mic, are no less impressive. The sleeper is perhaps “Go With The Flow,” a kinetic groove with an egregiously thick, muted bassline, surgical cuts and never-endingly captivating lines by the liquid-tongued CL. “All Souled Out” boasts all of the Pete Rock trademarks – a jumpy, filtered bassline; beautifully stitched horn samples on the hook; and this time with a faster tempo. CL has no issues with Pete’s BPM challenge, proving he can drop knowledge at any speed. And of two different versions of “Good Life” on the platter, the EP’s final cut, the “Group Home Mix,” is perhaps the winner, with an abundance of musical action to back up CL’s lyrical musings on ways to achieve success and comfort in life.” - Get On Down

“This six-song EP officially introduced Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth to the hip-hop listening community, and it is hard to imagine a stronger or more confident introduction. Pete Rock's unmatched production sound is already in place, fully-formed, drenched in obscure soul music samples and rumbling, cavernous bass. Characterized by his trademark sonic signature, muted and phased trumpet, and flute loops, the songs sound regal with endless depth (with the exception, perhaps, of his own enjoyably buoyant rhyming vehicle, "The Creator").

Of course, C.L. Smooth's lyrics have just as much to do with that regal quality. His vocals are so laid-back and understated -- even soothing -- that they can be deceptive and difficult to grasp. Once the listener finds a way in, however, there is much to be found in his words; bypassing the normal rap self-involvements, Smooth instead opts to make moral arguments and ask intellectual questions of the urban community, in essence holding a mirror up to that community without ever devolving into didacticism or soap-box judgment.” - AllMusic

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