Doggumentary

Spin (p.81) - "[W]hen Snoop gets experimental with the Gorillaz on the interstellar 'Sumthin Like This Nite,' he proves he can still push hip-hop's boundaries."

When Snoop Dogg took the Doggystyle 2 title off his planned 2011 release, it was a heads-up to fans that this is not the worthy sequel to his landmark debut. Judging from the highlights, it could have been heading there at one time, but Doggystyle was filler-free and flowed while Doggumentary adheres to mixtape standards, dropping all its bangers into one big bowl along with the B-list material. No doubt, the Yazoo-sampling “Boom” with T-Pain sits on Snoop’s top shelf when it comes to pop, and if you crave that crooked West Coast style, "We Rest n Cali" rocks off-kilter, worships at the altar of Zapp, and sticks both regional hero Goldie Loc and P-Funk legend Bootsy on the track, just so all the elements are in place. The gimmicky “Wet” is a fine follow-up to “Sensual Seduction,” and the surprises are either extremely rewarding this time out (the Gorillaz collaboration “Sumthin’ Like This Night” is beautifully broken reggae that can lift the listener to a higher plane) or pleasantly amusing (the Willie Nelson team-up “Superman” is sloppy, front porch, and very cute). Navigating this 21-track session is the hard part, but once fans do the necessary trimming and pull out their favorite 14 or so, Doggumentary becomes a fine addition to Snoop’s catalog. ~ David Jeffries

プライオリティの重役就任後も＜攻め＞の姿勢を崩さないスヌープ。移ろいの激しいシーンやストリートのトレンドへの敏感な反応と、フットワークの軽いアクションがいまなおシーン内でホットであり続けている由縁なのだろう。そんな姿勢は今作にも垣間見え、キャタラクスやレックス・ルーガーら、イケてる旬なクリエイターを素早く起用。またヤング・ジーズィとE-40を迎えたクレイジーなバウンス"My Fuckin' House"やスーパー・ハイなウィズ・カリファとのジョイント"This Weed Iz Mine"など緩急も自在だし、ゴリラズやウィリー・ネルソンとの共演まであったりするムチャな振り幅も痛快。それでいて、オールド・ソウル風味を随所で効かせて古くからのファンの心をガッチリ掴むことも忘れてはいないのだ。
bounce (C)升本徹