Snoop Dogg - Neva Left Album Review

The title track opens the album at over five minutes, built on a soul sample from The Charmels and produced by Mike & Keys. It sets the record's temperature at once: slow, warm and self-assured, with Snoop sounding comfortable rather than hungry. The length is a gamble and it mostly pays off, because the groove has enough shape to hold attention and the verse structure avoids repetition. It is a statement of longevity more than of ideas, and the writing is competent rather than sharp, but as an opening it frames the album's strengths clearly. The soul chop gives the beat an emotional edge that the lyrics only partially match, which is the album's central imbalance in a single song.

A short, tight cut at under two and a half minutes, produced by Rick Rock, and one of the few songs where brevity helps. It moves quickly, avoids padding and gets out before the idea thins. Not a standout, but a solid second track that keeps the pace after the long opener.

Features Big Tray Deee and uses a sample from the A Tribe Called Quest song Check the Rhime, an unusual East Coast reference point on a record about Los Angeles. The title promises nostalgia and the track delivers a loose, relaxed version of it, with the production by J-Massive keeping the bounce light. Big Tray Deee's presence ties the song to a Long Beach lineage and gives the track more local texture than most of the album. It is solid rather than exceptional, and the hook is more functional than memorable, but the cross-coast sample choice gives it a reason to exist.

The first single, produced by Dupri of League of Starz, and the cleanest marriage of modern polish and old-school pace on the record. At under three minutes it is compact and uncluttered, with a bassline that does most of the persuading. Snoop's delivery is relaxed and confident, and the song works because it does not try to be more than a good mid-tempo West Coast single. It is not deep, but it is one of the album's most replayable songs and the best starting point for a casual listener.

Features K Camp and is produced by Musik MajorX. It reaches for a younger sound and a more contemporary hook, and the guest fits the mood. The result is competent but slight, a song that could appear on almost any 2017 radio-minded rap record without being missed.

Rick Rock returns for this four-minute cut with Stresmatic. The groove is capable and the guest is serviceable, but the song stretches a thin idea past its welcome. It is a representative mid-album track: pleasant, easy to forget.

A smoother, more R&B-leaning song with October London on the hook, produced by Brody Brown. The vocal feature gives it a softer feel than the surrounding tracks, which is a welcome change of texture, but the rap verses add little. Fine as a breather, filler as a song.

A DJ Battlecat production that leans on the heavier, low-end-first side of his style. Snoop's delivery here is looser and more rhythmic than on the lighter songs, and the beat gives him a stronger frame. It is a solid cut without a guest, which helps, because the song relies on his voice rather than on a name.

Brings Too $hort and Nef the Pharaoh together, a pairing that links the Bay Area's elder statesman to a younger voice. The production from DNYC3 of League of Starz is bouncy and club-ready, and Too $hort's dry delivery contrasts well with Snoop's smoother approach. It is a useful illustration of the West Coast's generational span, even if the song itself is more fun than weighty.

The obligatory cannabis song, with Devin the Dude and Wiz Khalifa, produced by DJ Battlecat and Mars. Devin the Dude is a natural fit, and his conversational, slightly sleepy style is the best thing on the track. It is entertaining and on-brand, though it adds little to a subject the host has covered at length, and the Wiz Khalifa verse is routine.

A remix of a BADBADNOTGOOD song with Kaytranada, released as the second single. It is the most adventurous production on the record: a jazzy, electronic-tinged groove that steps outside the standard G-funk template and gives Snoop a different bed to rap over. He adapts well, keeping his drawl but tightening the phrasing to fit the rhythm. The song is also a reminder that his best recent work often comes when he lets younger producers set the terms rather than imitating his own past. It is a highlight, even if it is a remix rather than an original composition, and it points toward a more interesting version of this album.

Features KRS-One and interpolates his song My Philosophy, with additional vocals from Janice Freeman and production by DJ Battlecat. It is a conscious-rap meeting point: KRS-One's forceful, declarative style against Snoop's laid-back flow. The mix of East Coast preaching and West Coast ease is the song's selling point, and the chorus gives it more shape than many of the album's hooks. The interpolation is a tribute, and it works as one, though it leans on the original for much of its power.

The album's best song, built as a posse cut for Snoop, Method Man, Redman and B-Real, produced by Dr. Evo, with talk-box vocals from Steven J. Collins. The beat has a loose, funky bounce, and the talk box adds a G-funk texture that recalls Zapp-style production without copying it. Redman and Method Man bring the sharpest rapping on the record, B-Real adds a nasal contrast, and Snoop's slow, rolling verse holds the center. The chemistry is the point: four veterans trading verses with the confidence of people who have done it for decades. It was released as a single and deserves the placement. If you play one song from the album, play this one.

A nearly seven-minute remix of a Biz Markie composition, with Charlie Wilson and Teena Marie credited as features. Battlecat gives the song a slow, soulful bed, and Wilson's voice adds warmth. It is pleasing and well made, but at this length it overstays its idea, and the closing stretch repeats what the first half already established. A good listen, an indulgent track.

A DJ Battlecat production built on a sample of The Notations' song of the same title. It has a reflective, survival-minded tone that fits the album's theme, and the soul sample gives it emotional weight. The verses are straightforward, and the song earns its place through mood rather than through writing.

A closing song produced by Big Bub, featuring Big Bub, built around a sample of Brenda Lee Eager. It is a gentle, optimistic ending, and the soul sample gives it a warm finish. Pleasant and a little generic, it closes the record on a note of goodwill rather than conviction.