After a trip to Jamaica,
Snoop Dogg
returned as
Snoop Lion
, a reformed reggae singer/dancehall rapper who had seen the Rastafarian light. Violence was now something to fight against, and while Biblical, vegetarian, and other bits of Ital living can be found on
Snoop
's first reggae album,
Reincarnated
, utilizing
Diplo
as his co-captain seems like an odd choice if you want to go the full
Peter Tosh
. Here, the kinetic electro producer is co-credited under his
Major Lazer
moniker, and while
follows
Burning Spear
(his soft singing voice poetically damning violence and hoping for a better tomorrow throughout the album) and
chases the cutting edge of cool (the choices of dancehall vocalists
Mr. Vegas
,
Collie Buddz
, and
Popcaan
are just as wicked as his getting
Dre Skull
and
6Blocc
behind the boards) this album is blunted by pop, pop-rap, pop-reggae, and pop-politics, all at their most bland. Weed references are repurposed as sweet nothings on "The Good Good," a lazy, lazy lover written by
Dianne Warren
who comes off as hitmaker-for-hire here, but that isn't the oddest choice, as
Miley Cyrus
guests on "Ashtrays and Heartbreaks," a sweet but ineffective number trying to adapt the "pour one out" tribute song for
's new no-on-booze, yes-on-weed lifestyle. His charm and sincerity carry these merely good and midtempo numbers on an album that's got plenty of them, and while
is no home run, it's no great embarrassment, either, and certainly comes alive during party numbers like "Here Comes the King" (hot-stepping meets dub-stepping with a winding bassline), "Lighters Up" (
meets dancehall greats
Mavado
over the tastiest of beats), and "Fruit Juice" (it's like
Kool Keith
doing a tropical smoothie commercial with
in tow). A little backstory goes a long way when it comes to this one, so fans who have seen the Reincarnated documentary and relate to the rapper's rebirth can go up one letter grade. Otherwise,
the album is all heart and heart-in-the-right-place, threatening to mash up the system without ever even harshing the mellow. [
was also released with four bonus tracks.] ~ David Jeffries