Artist: Del The Funky Homosapien
Album: The Eleventh Hour
Label: Def Jux
Since 2000’s Both Sides of the Brain, Del The Funky Homosapien has been keeping busy and seen more than his share of problems (check out the 11th Hour DVD). Using music as a release, Del stayed religiously on the mic. He morphed into Deltron 3030 with Dan The Automator, and then morphed again when he joined The Gorillaz in the early years of the new millennium. Yesterday, March 11th, Del came back as himself with his first true solo album in 8 years, the appropriately title The Eleventh Hour.
With everything going on in Del’s life, and his move to Def Jux, I kind of expected a somewhat dark and futuristic album. However, The Eleventh Hour is a funky LP, filled primarily with braggadocio lyrics that cater to an old school vibe but keep it current. Such a vibe is firmly established with tracks such as “Raw Sewage” and “Footwork” which sound like they could easily land on an album by Del’s cousin, Ice Cube, as well as “Bubble Pop” which samples Bob James’ “Take Me To Mardi Gras”
Del is Del all day on this LP. There are no big surprises, and no pulled punches. Del’s fans should eat this up, as he gives all of himself over 14 tracks. He also proves that he has not lost a step, and the way that his production continues to improve is giving Del a fresh set of legs. Overall, The Eleventh Hour dropped just in time. So if you’re having trouble deciding between copping the new Snoop or Fat Joe, switch it up a bit and grab the new Del not a perfect album, but you won’t be disappointed.
Hits:
“Slam Dunk”
“Str8 Up & Down”
“I Got You”
“Situations”
Misses:
“Bubble Pop”
“Back In The Chamber”
“I’ll Tell You”
– By Alexander Fruchter