It’s all change on Snoop Dogg’s 13th studio album, his first since reinventing himself as reggae vocalist Snoop Lion, but everything remains more or less the same. The old moniker is back, as is old collaborator Pharrell, who produces all 10 tracks. We get the inevitable weed paean – “Do not try to get higher than me,” he cautions on Awake – and an abundance of party material, elevated by Pharrell’s glimmering disco. Snoop is singing more than ever – he puts the ratio to rapping at 70:30 – but this just accentuates the melodic qualities inherent in his music. Business as usual, in this case, is no bad thing.
