The vast, ambitious full-length reflects several years of constant, intense soul-searching, and its songs and interludes revolve around themes of identity, homecoming, and self-empowerment."

"[1] Rachel Aroesti from The Guardian said "despite weaving southern African influences into the drumming and multilingual lyrics, Tembo's keen intellect and strong personality isn't always accompanied by the most distinctive sound.

That said, Tembo is undoubtedly an intriguing addition to rap's increasingly rich tapestry – albeit one yet to land on a sonic palette as fresh and compelling as her perspective.

"[15] Madelyn Tait from The Music said "Drawing influence from hip hop, jazz, soul, R&B and southern African sounds, Sampa The Great has created something original, somewhat spiritual, and entirely authentic.

"[13] Stevie Chick of Mojo wrote "The Return could do with editing, as its unweidly 78 minutes risk losing the audience before its finest songs...but too much of a good thing is nothing to hold a grudge over.