(Definitive Jux/Inertia)

Still funky after all these years – but is it enough?

It’s been eight years since San Francisco rapper/producer Teren Delvon Jones AKA Del The Funky Homosapien last clocked on with an album in his own name. So what’s the first track he drops on us after such a long time away? Raw Sewage. Good thing it doesn’t stink much at all. In fact, it heralds Del’s return in the best way possible – with a flurry of savvy, sashaying words served with a twist and a wry edge, wrapped in a rolling, low-rider groove. And the interest is maintained with Bubble Pop sampling a sinewy 80s funk and Hold Your Hand’s darkly manipulated vocal. But at times, the set veers into merely worthy than revelatory, especially in its middle section (Foot Down motors along nicely but doesn’t take us too far, while Workin’ It doesn’t really work that hard). And it either lacks the sense of innovation of his earlier albums or doesn’t take advantage of the fresh directions offered by his work in Gorillaz or Deltron 3030. Those aspects aside, there’s a cool, cruising confidence that carries tracks like the sporty Slam Dunk and the flashback feel of Back In The Chamber. So, not a blinder, but enough to say Del is definitely back.

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BILL HOLDSWORTH

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