De La Soul - Cabin In the Sky

A couple of years ago, De La released a video for “Oodles of O’s”, a track from their second album De La Soul is Dead, released over three decades ago. Many things change over time, but one thing that didn’t was the track was still a head nodder. But, one thing that had changed was Trugoy the Dove, aka Dave, was no longer with us.

Cabin in the Sky starts off with a rollcall, which goes through the list of collaborators on the album. All is fun until you get to Dave. That’s when the sadness hits.

However, as Pos mentions on "YUHDONTSTOP", “Cindy said, ‘If you all stop, then Dave stops.’” Sprinkled throughout the album, there are verses from Dove that serve as reminders of his exceptional ability. Initially, the album starts off somber, but it quickly transforms into a celebration.

Beyond the obvious surrounding Dave, the production throughout is dope, which is a trademark of De La albums. There are beats from the likes of Jake One, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier. Throughout, De La shows they can adapt to different production styles, proving just how versatile they are.

Frankly, it’s great to hear from these guys again. They also gave us a solid album.