7/10

At the end of last year, legendary hip-hop trio De La Soul announced their plans to release a new album but chose to fund the release through crowd-sourcing site Kickstarter. The response to their return was so astounding that the group managed to hit their funding target in just a few hours. They released the EP 'For Your Pain & Suffering' as a thank you to fans earlier this year, paving the way for 'And The Anonymous Nobody...', their first full-length album as a three-piece in twelve years.

While it is fair to say that the basic elements of their sound hasn't gone away, what has changed on this release is their openness to try new directions. While this album contains the more conventional collaborations with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Usher and 2 Chainz, it is the coupling of the group with artists like David Byrne, Damon Albarn and even The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins that show the most interest. Essentially creating an album that displays the versatility of their sound, allowing them to break away from conventions and return with something fresh and diverse.

De La Soul have never been out of form, and even after more than a decade out of the studio together, this still remains true. 'And The Anonymous Nobody...' is an exciting and different sort of hip-hop record than you would probably expect to hear in 2016. They've shown that their progressive sound is timeless in its presentation and hopefully this will become the start of a resurrection for the group.