Heavily nostalgic and yet fully energized,
Neva Left
continues
Snoop Dogg
's easy whim-to-whim glide. The photo used for the cover dates back to the early '90s, taken near a sign for the California state route that shares its number with the state's penal code for homicide. A frame from
tha Dogg Pound
's "New York, New York" video would be just as reflective of the contents. Although their album offers a high quantity of whomping basslines played at relaxed tempos,
Snoop
demonstrates throughout that he still has love for the East Coast. He raps like
Slick Rick
as he boasts about "singing like a
Tempree
," gamely references
Whodini
,
Boogie Down Productions
a Tribe Called Quest
, and
Wu-Tang Clan
elsewhere, while the guest list includes
KRS-One
Redman
Method Man
.
even revisits his beeper-era nod to
Biz Markie
on a "Vapors" remix, one of several cuts handled by long-term associate
DJ Battlecat
. The cleverest beat combines coastal sources: "Promise You This," from
League of Starz
'
Dupri
, dots
Too $hort
-style minimal machine funk with a little "It Takes Two" as
attests to being a no-talk, all-action self-starter, supporting the community through his youth football league and by putting people to work. The sinister and spacy
Kaytranada
/
BadBadNotGood
production "Lavender [Nightfall Remix]" is the best of the cross-generational tracks, which also include the neo-
Neptunes
"Go On" (with
October London
on the hook, evoking
Marvin Gaye
) and the trap-style "Trash Bags," the latter the only beat on which
, otherwise appealing as ever, sounds out of place. [This CD edition of
includes a bonus track, "Transition."] ~ Andy Kellman