Original Lab review:

I'll be honest: I'm a huge De La Soul fan. These guys are the main reason I fell in love with hip-hop. But the two Art Official Intelligence albums just didn't do it for me; they felt too calculated, lacking the spontaneity of their previous LPs, not to mention laden with some questionable production. With The Grind Date, I regret ever doubting them. As their seventh studio album, this is also their most consistent and satisfying effort in recent years. Give ample credit off the bat to their production team which includes themselves along with Supa Dave West, J Dilla, Madlib, 9th Wonder and Jake One - there's nary a flat track on here. From the ridiculous, tempo-shifting sickness of "Rock Co.Kane" to the pumped up funk slaps of "Verbal Claps," and the uplifting energy of "Church," De La leaps into The Grind Date with a renewed vigor. There's just a tad too much "give us our props, we're pioneers!" on songs like "The Future," but hell, few have earned the right as much as these three. Neither cloyingly commercial nor stubbornly underground, De La moves with a forward vision and leave the preachiness of past efforts out of it. Instead, songs like "Church," "The Grind Date," and "It's Like That" reflect the crew's mature perspectives on life and struggles. But just in case heads need to be thrown, they'll still hit with straight missiles on "Days of Our Lives" (feat. Common), and "No." Other guests include MF DOOM on "Rock Co.Kane," and Ghostface for "He Comes," but this is still the De La Show, front and center. Includes bonus instrumentals, recommended.

• 20th anniversary reissue of 2004 album ft. Ghostface, MF Doom, Common, production by J Dilla, Madlib, Supa Dave West, 9th Wonder + more
• splatter colored double vinyl pressing (please note: actual pressing color and packaging may differ from mock-up photo)
  
• includes (4) bonus instrumentals
• limited edition
• original release year: 2004
• music label: BMG 2025

reviewed by O-Dub 11/2004