Reincarnated flits from the rock-reggae fusion of “Rebel Way” to the old school dancehall of “Here Comes the King” to the lumbering boom bap of “Lighters Up” early on.
The album’s sonic architects ease off their trademark futuristic dance floor bedlam here, opting instead for what sounds like a lovingly cultivated genre-bending mixtape. Reincarnated’s strong suit is its production, which was handled in large part by Diplo’s Major Lazer braintrust with help from Vybz Kartel collaborator Dre Skull and producer/songwriter Ariel Rechtshaid. Vegas can’t save “Fruit Juice” from its clunky concept, and the Akon cover “Tired of Running” aims for profundity but lands on karaoke, even with vocals from the man himself to guide the way. But the guests can’t always carry the weight: dancehall stalwart Mr. Singer-songwriter Angela Hunte’s extensive co-writing and backing vocals provide the understated beating heart of the record, and guests like Mavado and Popcaan shine for knowing their way around a reggae fusion record. The result is something akin to his short-lived career hosting and directing adult film: you sense Snoop milling around in the background while professionals do the heavy lifting. He wisely buttresses himself with a coalition of singers and actual reggae artists tasked with lending this project the hooks and credibility that he can’t muster. Snoop’s hardly a natural as a reggae singer, and his performances here are riddled with leaden vocalizing, fortune cookie-grade lyrical mundanities (“Take care of Mother Earth cause-ah she be the planet”) and dreadful fake patois.
Many of the complaints about the film could be made against the album: Reincarnated is constantly on the hunt for a sense of communion with a world just out of its reach. Upon release, though, the film immediately infuriated Bunny, who issued a withering polemic castigating Snoop for what he felt was a cavalier and opportunistic misappropriation of Rastafarian culture. All of which was ultimately documented in the film Reincarnated and consummated in the album of the same name. But Snoop really seemed invested in this Lion thing: his plan to hang out in Jamaica to record a reggae album quickly became a full-fledged Rastafarian spirit journey with guidance from Marley bandmate and roots reggae legend Bunny Wailer and the Rastafari Millennium Council. The transformation seemed likely to blow over the same way Snoop’s stints as talk show host, sketch comedy actor and porn director did- another half-remembered bit of listless bond diversification from a rap luminary grown bored of rapping. So when he announced his metamorphosis into the reggae singer Snoop Lion last year while casually referred to himself as the reincarnation of Bob Marley, it was hard not to have a chuckle. Snoop Dogg has spent the last decade of his career building a persona based on intrinsic and intentional humor.
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