Doggumentary

When he's not trying to satisfy different demographic demands, Snoop returns to his roots to create a laissez-faire funk full of laid-back raps and Jheri Curl groove.

Snoop has been paying dues for two decades and change now, so he's earned the right to be a brand, an icon, a television star and most of all a rap legend. "Doggumentary" won't tarnish the polish on his O.G. status.

The 21-song set, with some misfires, overflows with top-shelf talent; and Snoop's rhymes are crisp and often slightly nostalgic.

As such, like Blue Carpet Treatment, Doggumentary is an album that reminds us all why we like Snoop so much, and pleases us through his taste for good music more than his talent for good rhymes.

Doggumentary's most rewarding moments find him dipping a paw out of his comfort zone.

While a dozen singles will probably be lifted from Doggumentary, as an album experience it's an utter dogg's breakfast – as might be expected from a project that credits no fewer than 20 different producers and 35 engineers.

Navigating this 21-track session is the hard part, but once fans do the necessary trimming and pull out their favorite 14 or so, Doggumentary becomes a fine addition to Snoop's catalog.

More than many of Snoop's recent efforts, Doggumentary has something of a sonic identity.

He barely has to try and, to be honest, here it shows.

His flow never deviates from that of Doggystyle, but the production on his hits demonstrates an effort to evolve with the times.

Doggumentary isn't a frustrating listen because of shortcomings, as many of them that there are; it's frustrating because there are some real glimpses of late-career genius on it that Snoop continues to neglect.

Snoop's 11th album unevenly celebrates his all-over-the-map persona.

There are moments here that hint at brilliance of the West Coast veteran's early G-funk staples, which only underlines the fact that a more faithful sequel to his magnum opus would best serve his fans and his legacy. Doggumentary is far from that, its major player distracted by his desire to replicate modish hood-bangers and experiment in areas too far from his comfort zone.