Snoop has done sterling work in recent times, and his status as a terrific singles artist was secured with the stellar ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’. A return-to-form on the album front has not been forthcoming though; indeed, he lost it in this regard quite some time ago – nothing since has come even close to touching his classic debut Doggystyle.
Tha Blue Carpet Treatment is not about to change this; 21 tracks, 78 minutes – you won’t be terribly shocked to hear that this is another disappointingly patchy affair. Were it not for the presence of the ‘Dogg, it would be average indeed, but his irresistibly sly delivery is always on hand to rescue things from abject mediocrity.
There are a handful of killer tunes that may make purchase worthwhile, but be sure to have the programme function handy. The opener (or intro!) ‘Intrology’ is irresistibly squelchy and supple, Snoop’s delivery so flawless and classic it may have been preserved in aspic. ‘B-Real’ (of Cypress Hill fame) is a perfect foil for Snoop on ‘Vato’, his lip-curling sneer an ideal companion for the Dogg’s lazily menacing style. The track’s production is also sharp: one of the better Neptunes beats of recent times, with plenty of understated-yet-dramatic sonic touches.
Pharrel and co. manage another decent contribution, the dark, atmospheric ‘Lil’ Grips’. Perhaps they should have been allowed to dominate the record a little more, as the promise shown on these tracks is never convincingly fleshed out elsewhere. Timbaland’s sole contribution (‘Get A Light’) is one of his more lumbering, graceless numbers, while the two Dr. Dre-helmed tunes show little evidence of the creative chemistry he and Snoop once shared – though the stylish piano-and-string sweep of ‘Imagine’ is not bad.
Not quite the ‘Dogg’s bollocks, then – too many of these productions lack the bite to match Snoop’s bark.