From the raunchy cartoon cover of Doggystyle to the “Gin and Juice” video’s Home Alone parody to the winningly absurd, short-lived sketch show Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, Snoop Dogg has always spiked his G-funk strut with a comedic streak. And on his lascivious single “Sensual Seduction”—with its brilliant, Prince-parodying, worn-out-VHS-style video—the Doggfather embraces his funnyman side, with plenty of kitschy Roger Troutman vocoder effects to boot. Alas, the West Coast stalwart’s ninth album doesn’t entirely make good on “Seduction”’s wacky promise. For every over-the-top funk send-up (like “Cool,” where Snoop shows off a Chappellian Rick James impression), there’s yet another toothless gangsta bromide (the Neptunes-produced “Sets Up”). And the hick-hop abomination “Johnny Cash” is plenty humorous—but in a laughing-at, not laughing-with, sort of way.

Download: “Press Play,” “Cool”