HIPHOP

The latest releases reviewed.

SNOOP DOGG The Blue Carpet Treatment Doggystyle/Polydor ***

There's life in the old Dogg yet. Thanks to Drop It Like It's Hot and Signs from his last album, Calvin Broadus Jr found there was a whole new bunch of people keen to put up with him growling and doing it Doggystyle. For this trip, his eighth studio album, Snoop returns to the mean streets of Long Beach, California, which served him so well when he was starting out. Of course, going back to the old haunts to touch base with your back-in-the-day bad self and find some fresh gangsta love can be tricky when you're a multi-millionaire Dogg. That said, there's plenty on The Blue Carpet Treatment to admire. Snoop is back in the frame with Dr Dre for the neatly tricked-out Imagine, but it is his willingness to drape edgy beats and beeps around his distinctive, drawling flow that makes Candy and Crazy stand tall. www.snoopdogg.com Jim Carroll