Last year he gave us the brilliant Coolaid album, and less than a year on Long Beach’s finest Snoop Dogg drops another project Neva Left. At first glance this one appears to be full of nostalgia, from the vintage photo of a young Snoop in front of a Los Angeles street sign, to the list of originators who join him including Redman, Methodman, B-Real and KRS One. His 15th album is not only a homage to the old school however, as young producer Kaytranada and nu-jazz band BadBadNotGood are credited as well.
With 25 years in the game Snoop has always managed to move with the times whilst staying true to his west coast roots, the opener and title track Neva Left for example would sound at home on one of his earlier projects. Portraying the harsh reality of gang life ‘9mm in yo face’, he sounds just as fresh as he did in his twenties; the production is traditional but with an extra touch of class. There is plenty of throwback jams to choose from, Mount Kushmore stands out from the 16 tracks as it cleverly references the era that brought us classics such as California Love. Cypress Hill’s B-Real, Wu Tang members Redman and Methodman all add their unique flavour to this funked up masterpiece.
Even after publicly slating some of the new breed of rap and hip hop artists there are still moments that sound very 2017, Trash Bags for example actually features some of the copycat flows that so many modern trap artists favour. Weather he is doing this on purpose or not he manages to pull this off better than many of his younger counterparts, with so much character in his voice and delivery style it makes a relatively standard track become an irresistible listen.
Neva Left is the fifteenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg.
Some of the album’s best moments seem to follow a similar pattern, analog synth bass stabs, 80’s drum machines and classic vocal cuts from essential funk breaks. These often bring out some of the most fun vocals from Snoop, notably on his Rick Rock collaboration Moment I Feared. Promise You This and Toss It also follow suit, without sounding tired.
Fans of his 2005 collaboration with Justin Timberlake and Charlie Wilson (which was produced by The Neptunes) will be glad to hear some more disco-funk vibes on the brilliant Go On. October London provides a stunning chorus that sounds as if could have been recorded in the 70’s, Snoop adds his usual swag-filled rap but the real star of the show is the summery instrumental itself. A curveball comes in the form of Lavender, BadBadNotGood and Kaytranada lend a helping hand to bring some more psychedelic sonics to the album. Another more musically mature offering pops up right at the end of the album, Love Around The World wraps up the project brilliantly with a soulful vocal performance form the talented Big Bub.
With so many pieces to highlight there is no doubt that this is a huge success for Snoop Dogg, following on from a solid release less than a year ago it is seriously impressive. For an album of 16 tracks to not have any flaws is quite rare, even if there are some stronger moments there really are not many weak ones. As some of his 90’s rap counterparts are slowing down or quitting completely it is inspiring to see him at the top of his game, raising the bar and easily keeping up with the modern world of music. Why not come and hear it for yourself on our range of demonstration headphones at your local Richer Sounds today?
