It’s been a minute since we heard from the self-proclaimed Funky Homosapien, Del. His first two records were cult classics, helping launch the Hieroglyphics crew, whom, as a whole, played a huge role in the creation of the indie hip-hop movement. Del remained elusive during the underground’s new frontier, releasing a few solo records, (Future Development and Both Sides Of The Brain, respectively), as well as a collaboration with Dan The Automator on Deltron 3030. However, each of releases unfortunately were received with a collective “meh” from the audience, and Del took some time off – about seven years.

When it was announced the Del would be collaborating with Definitive Jux for the release of his long-awaited Eleventh Hour LP, people had a memory loss, and all past misdeeds were forgiven. After all, hearing Del and El-P collaborate on “Offspring” on Both Sides Of The Brain and El’s Push Button Objects “360″ remix (feat. Del and Mr. Lif) offered a taste of what we could expect from such a high-powered collaboration. This could be exactly what the artist needed for reinvention.

Unfortuantely, this is not at all what we get. Del’s latest may be distributed by Jux, but evidently the label had little to do with it’s creation or sound, as most of the production was handled in-house, by Hiero. The album opens with “Raw Sewage”, which finds Del in his element, flowing over a murky beat with occasional horn stabs and a furiously cut-up hook. “Bubble Pop” follows, boldly sampling “Take Me To The Mardi Gras”, but adding a bass-line worthy of the song’s title, as Del vents his frustration with people that think they are all that (when they ain’t). This vintage production style carries over into “Back In The Chamber”, a raw Hiero-styled beat that could have easily be found on No Need For Alarm.

Del experiments with new styles of production as well, for better or for worse. The Opio produced “Naked Fonk” is different than the style of beat we are used to hearing Del over, but his strange choice of delivery on the track makes it hard to grasp hold of. “Hold Your Hand” is one of the better tracks on the album, with mellow Oakland funk, mixed with an ill Del twist on the hook. However, “Foot Down”, Del’s attempt at a double-time bounce track, comes off as contrived and gimmicky.

Strangely enough Del does not enlist any of Hiero brethren to share rhyming duties on The Eleventh Hour. Instead, “Last Hurrah” features newcomer J. Malcolm, who nevertheless holds his own next to Del. “I Got You”, however, does not fare quite as well. Here, Ladybug Mecca trades mics with Del, on a lo-fi track with a repetitive hook that seems to go on forever; not quite a match made in heaven. One collaboration that does work very well is “Funkyhomosapein”, which finds Del getting busy on a J-Zone track – creating a sound that should have carried the whole record.

Aside from the disappointment that this was not a record that’s creation was overseen by El-P (a la Cage’s Hell’s Winter or Mr. Lif’s Mo Mega), Del also seems to be phoning his performances in. Half the time it seems like he is freestyling, the other half simply goofing off in the mic booth. While these are aspects of his personality that got us to like him in the first place, gone are the tightly knit concepts of classic songs like “Sleepin’ On My Couch” or “Wrong Place”. Del’s latest has it’s moments, but it unfortunately it seems like after a seven year absence, Del really did wait until The Eleventh Hour and rushed this record out. – D.T. Swinga