5/10

After spending much of the last few years as his reggae alter-ego Snoop Lion or under his DJ mantra Snoopadelic, it is good to see Snoop Dogg return to his root image and deliver a record that suits his laid-back California-soaked style of hip-hop. And despite being such a short release with only 10-tracks to its name, he has managed to include a number of high-profile guests including Pharrell Williams, Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross and Stevie Wonder to name but a few on his long-awaited return.

But despite all this extra influence to the new record, it does seem to lack in the instant identification that most of Snoop Dogg's repertoire has seen before. While the funk and soul influences throughout do fit in with the current trends set out by Mark Ronson and Kendrick Lamar respectively, this new full-length doesn't seem to hit that same level of intrigue and overall, begins to just merge into one long mediocre production.

It is clear of what Snoop has looked to achieve from this new record, but very little of it stays with you after it's over. Its lack of recall leaves it feeling like a hollow release without the necessary hooks that keep you coming back again.