Snoop Dogg’s “Tha Last Meal” is a 2001 version of his first solo release “Doggystyle.” “Tha Last Meal” features a number of head-bobbing tracks and funkadelic beats that Snoop fans haven’t seen since the days of Tha Dogg Pound. The album’s line up several of Snoop’s old partners and a few new ones, too.”Snoop Dogg (what’s my name pt. 2),” the album’s first single, features a catchy hook provided by Timbaland and a smooth vocal delivery by Snoop that makes this track an instant party favorite.Snoop reunites with The Lady of Rage and Nate Dogg on “Set it off,” a made-for-radio track that also features MC Ren and Ice Cube. The song was mixed by Timbaland and has a definite Timbaland flavor to it — you’ll be seeing this one on MTV soon.Female rapper Eve teams up with Snoop on the track “Ready 2 Ryde.” The track is one of the faster songs on the album, but certainly one of the better ones due in large part to Eve’s presence.Rapper KoKane appears on more than his fair share of tracks on “The Last Meal,” including “Hennesey N Buddah,” “True Lies,” “Wrong Idea,” “Stacey Adams,” “Bring It On,” “Brake Fluid” and “Y’all Gone Miss Me.” “Wrong Idea” also features Bad Azz and Lil H.D.Master P’s voice thankfully rears its ugly head on only two cuts, “Lay Low” and “Back Up Off Me.” Neither song is even tolerable because of their tired No Limit sound.”Issues” and “Leave Me Alone” both have funky backdrops and classic laid-back Snoop vocals. They are also the only other solo tracks by Snoop on the album.”Tha Last Meal” is 5th on this week’s Billboard Top 20 R&B/Hip Hop albums, and besides the presence of No Limit artists on the album, this LP deserves its current ranking. Anyone who liked Snoop’s pre-No Limit sound will more than likely enjoy the majority of “Tha Last Meal.”

There are few bands out there today who possess the ability to change their style with such agility and grace as that of Lucky Boys Confusion. With a genre all their own, which can only be described as rock-reggae-punk-hop, this group of twenty-somethings from Chi-town brings a whole new feeling to our current genre-mixing musical world. With the skill and dexterity of their sound, luck is the last thing these lucky boys will need on their quest for stardom. Lucky Boy’s Confusion released their first album, “Growing Out Of It” on their own label, Townstyle Records in 1999. LBC gained a local cult following with their radio-friendly single, cleverly titled “Dumb Pop Song.”Taking their newfound popularity in stride, LBC found themselves selling out shows at Chicago’s Metro and House of Blues, both high honors within the local scene. With the release of their sophomore EP titled “The Soapbox Spectacle” in mid-2000, the guys in LBC show us exactly what they are capable of. Starting out the eight-song EP is a punk guitar-driven, flowing reggae/rap number called “3-10.” Moving swiftly from dynamic rapping to smooth fluid vocals without missing a beat, lead singer Kaustubh Pandar introduces the listener to the variety of styles LBC brings to the album. Included on the EP are re-recordings of two fan favorites. “City Lights,” a blissfully melancholy song equipped with ska guitar, horns and a driving refrain. It is followed by “(23) God Only Knows,” an strong song that starts pop punk and slowly breaks down to prominent drums and eloquent guitar. After months of touring across the United States in hopes of getting the big break that could launch them into rock star status, LBC was signed to Elektra Records in mid-2000, home to the likes of Busta Rhymes, Metallica and Bjork. LBC’s Elektra debut is expected to be released in May.Lucky Boys Confusion play March 7 at People’s Bar and Grill, opening for regional favorites, Grasshopper Takeover.