PICTURE DISC

In an interview leading up to the release of his 20th studio album, Missionary, West Coast rap legend Snoop Dogg alluded to the record being a sort of unofficial continuation of his 1993 solo debut, Doggystyle, with even the title being a self-referential nod to that concept. There's something to this idea, as Missionary brings Dr. Dre's high-impact production back to the forefront, and several of the tracks stick to the G-funk formula that made Doggystyle, The Chronic, and anything else Dre touched in the early '90s all-time hip-hop classics. It's there in the brief intro track "Fore Play," which flips the Stylistics' eerie 1971 minor-key hit "People Make the World Go Round" into a bumping, celebratory opener, and there are also some echoes of the raw excitement of Snoop's earliest days on the slow-burning "Gunz n Smoke," with group energy provided by features from 50 Cent and Eminem. Tracks like "Hard Knocks" and "Outta Da Blue" are bass-heavy party starters, and the time-tested pop approach of reworking a rock song in new rap's clothing shows up with mixed results; the Sting-assisted "Another Part of Me" loops the riff from the Police's "Message in a Bottle" for an anthem designed to move stadium crowds, and "Last Dance with Mary Jane" uses elements from the Tom Petty song "Mary Jane's Last Dance" in a fawning love letter to Snoop's most enduring muse -- weed. The song is merely corny before Jelly Roll comes in with an oversung, overly affected, and fully unnecessary vocal performance. Other notable guest stars fill the ranks throughout Missionary, with Method Man, Jhené Aiko, Alus, and more all making appearances. While it doesn't really come close to capturing the lightning-in-a-bottle power of Doggystyle, there's enough of that original spirit mixed with a modernized production sound to make Missionary one of Snoop's more enjoyable full-album listening experiences in several years.

A1        Fore Play
A2        Shangri-La
A3        Outta Da Blue
A4        Hard Knocks
A5        Gorgeous
A6        Last Dance With Mary Jane
A7        Pressure
A8        Another Part Of Me
B9        Skyscrapers
B10        Fire
B11        Gunz N Smoke
B12        Sticcy Situation
B13        Now Or Never
B14        Gangsta Pose
B15        The Negotiator