Snoop Dogg Gets on with God Love ‘Bible of Love’

If you weren’t sure what to think when Snoop Dogg announced that he’d be making a gospel album, you wouldn’t be the only one. Of course, this is coming from the same guy who has hosted a cooking show alongside Martha Stewart, hosted a new edition of
The Joker’s Wild, and asked us all to Make America Crip Again while pulling a gun on a rather familiar clown in a recent music video. All of this has just been over the past year and goes without mentioning the majority of his nearly three decades of outrageous artistic endeavors and accusations. All in all, this can be seen as an argument both for and against the unpredictably of Snoop’s latest Biblical undertaking.

For a man who has been everything from g-funk pioneer to genuine Rastafarian, soul man, and even country crooner in his time, though, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Snoop’s latest antics on his
Bible of Love come across as sweet and real. With a whopping 32 tracks present on the album, folks might come to wonder how he would have so many verses to spit in a single effort, and the answer to that particular question is simpler than some might assume—he doesn’t. While Snoop shines when he offers his chill vocal consignment to the Word of God, he’s mostly sitting behind the production booth on Bible of Love while an entire swath of guest stars lead the charge.

The production present on the megalith of an album is, as some might say, heavenly. As has been typical of Snoop Dogg’s latest musical endeavors,
Bible of Love is a wonderfully mixed album that you can start a convincing groove to whether you’re listening to it on audiophile-friendly headphones or $10 earphones from your local grocery store. Each song satisfyingly sways from one track to the other without a single cut, seamlessly captivating listeners with elements of hip-hop, R&B, blues, and jazz all bitten by the gospel bug. The infectious layers of soul present from track to track is enough to get even those furthest removed from the Christian faith tapping their feet to the album—this writer included. Although you might be looking for an advantageous spot to take a break with the bountiful quantity of songs present past first listen.

Although, if you aren’t some Christian denomination or another, the content here might understandably be unrelatable. Every single song present on
Bible of Love is a glorious ode to God. There’s something musical to get into between all 32 songs and it’s nearly equal number of guest artists, but those who are the church-going types will be the ones who will garner an extra layer of something from each presentation. Aside from that, over six handfuls worth of songs in a single go is enough to tucker anyone out, but the content here is quality and plentiful if not a little bit pedestrian.

For Snoop’s first adventure into his faith in an album,
Bible of Love is absolutely an impressive effort. From top to bottom, the album is all very good for what it is. Some might argue that, for an artist who was first famous for a hard gangster image and songs to match, that he could’ve used the opportunity to look back on his past more forthrightly in an album based off of a book so steeped in redemption. They may be onto something there, and, all said, a mere celebration of God across a whopping 32 tracks has plenty of opportunities to feel a little tired past first listen. Although, there’s also plenty of chances for Snoop to dive deeper into Christian themes if he wants to. For what it is, Bible of Love is a solid effort that’s better than it has any business being.