Snoop Dogg
Doggumentary
(EMI Records)
It was last September that Snoop Dogg announced his 11th album would be the sequel to his groundbreaking debut Doggystyle. A few months later he scrapped the ambitious project, giving the album the stand-alone title of Doggumentary. A wise choice, as it is more a sprawling mixtape than his focused debut. With more than 20 producers and guest artists enlisted, this 21-track suite, released in the UAE this week to coincide with his concert on Yas Island, is a musical buffet, giving Snoop fans what they crave. G-Funk-era Snoop fans will be pleased with the opening salvo of Toyz N Da Hood, a largely instrumental funk workout led by Bootsy Collins, and the trunk-rattling bass of The Way Life Used to Be. Wonder What You Do, with its soulful, summery chorus by Uncle Chucc, continues Snoop's knack for finding a great pop hook. For the more experimental, try Wet. Its ebbing drums recall his previous hit Drop It Like It's Hot. Snoop acts more like a compère than the star of the show, allowing his guests a generous amount of time on the mic. But when he takes charge, as in We Rest in Cali, his silky drawl is a reminder of why he is still strong two decades on.
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