CD Reviews

Snoop Dogg

Tha Blue Carpet Treatment | Geffen

By MATTHEW GASTEIER | December 11, 2006

3.0 Stars

That Snoop has made his best album since 1993’s Doggystyle is a painful reminder that the hip-hop ambassador has spent the majority of his career coasting. There have been stand-alone triumphs on each disc, most recently the brilliant Neptunes-produced “Drop It like It’s Hot” from 2004’s mixed Rhythm and Gangsta. But until Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, the Chronic-created star has been more famous for introducing the regrettable “izzle” suffix to the general populace than for putting out great albums. That high profile, though, has given Snoop the capital to put together a disc filled with all-star producers and guests including Damien Marley, Timbaland, Stevie Wonder, and even the mostly-MIA D’Angelo, who jumps on the excellent “Imagine” with Dr. Dre. There are great songs all over the disc, from the huge single “I Wanna Fuck You” (with Akon) to the dark “Round Here” with a beat that sounds as if it might have come from a PJ Harvey track. Through it all, Snoop’s larger-than-life personality steals the show, a feat few MCs are even capable of. Even if the disc’s too long and there’s too much coasting here and there to qualify it as near-classic, there’s more than enough to convince doubters that Snoop can still deliver.

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