Sensual Disruption?

While Snoop's ego is most certainly trippin', and his new album is almost the shizzle, a few parts do unfortunately fizzle.

Mr. Dogg's ninth album, dubbed Ego Trippin', offers a wide range of musical styles. Whether the hip-hop legend is trying to show a range of artistic talent or just going for mass appeal is still up for debate.

While the album was initially planned to stay close to past Snoop albums, it was eventually decided to make some changes, including the employment of ghostwriters to help with the lyrics, a controversial confession documented in the current issue of XXL magazine.

Whether or not these supposed additions are disheartening, old fans will find some comfort in the rap licks, as some trace of a previous song lies within almost every track.

The album was released earlier than expected, most likely in an effort to ride out the love wave that the hit single "Sexual Eruption" has created. Old-school Snoop is still making appearances and reminding fans why they keep coming back.

Fans of the MC, who once rode under deep cover on an incognito trip, remain loyal to the ex-Crip because of his knack for laying down lyrics with relative ease, taking rhymes that can be deceptive in their simplicity and making them into a sensual audio eruption. While all the elements of a classic Snoop album are apparent in glances, one can only wish that they were more dominant.

The track "SD is Out" takes the electronic voice-coder that T-Pain has made so popular and polishes it up with some smooth gangster style. Even with the added ornamentation, the vocoder sound is a bit played out, with every club and bar playing T-Pain's similar single on an hourly basis.

Snoop takes some bold artistic chances though, including the song "My Medicine," featuring his nephew Whitey Ford on guitar, in a heroin-glorifying tribute to his apparent hero, Johnny Cash.

"You know I've got a head at medicine/That prescription medicine baby/You know purple orange green," Snoop raps.

Unfortunately, these experiments sit few and far between, and listeners expecting a rap revolution will be sorely disappointed.

Another rare delicacy to look for, "Deez Hollywood Nights," takes a show tune piano beat that orphan Annie would be proud to break down to and turns it into a song that has iTunes playlist potential.

When Snoop Dogg really mixes up music with some originality, it pays off. Too many of the songs, however, are trite clich?(c)s or remixes of songs and styles that most people have had their fill of. Even the Big Boss himself can't make them worthwhile.

Don't play Ego Trippin' when looking for the album that is going to launch rap into new trends. And since we won't stop, don't expect that 187 on an undercover cop, either. However, go for the trip if there's a comfortable seat and maybe a cigarette nearby.