That Was Then, This Is Now 2009 Album

Tha Dogg Pound

The Pound's last album, 'Dogg Chit', had some really good hard melodic beats and rapping but this album mostly fails to impress in the production department. And considering Daz and Ivan Johnson are doing most of them as they did on 'Dogg Chit', the difference is surprising. They are fairly generic beats and even the Lil' Jon produced 'No'mo Police Brutality' is lacklustre. Thankfully from there and about halfway through there are a few more tracks that have appeal in the second half of the album. 'On & On' is one of these and it improves after that. It features a Biggie sample on the hook and the beat is more catchy than most of the previous songs. The next track 'They Don't Want It' produced by Soopafly is good as well and features a really raw type of beat which changes up a few times. Nothing is brilliant but from there I enjoy more of what the album has to offer than the first ten or so tracks, so definitely don't turn off mid-way through as there is some nicer stuff later on. Still though, while both Daz and Kurupt are enjoyable as always, as with most Dogg Pound and gangsta rap lyrically, it's generic, so you need more bangin' beats and there ain't enough on this album to have someone coming back for more I wouldn't have thought. Best Tracks: That Was Then This Is Now, On & On, They Don't Want It, Tha Liquor Store, Westside Rydin, Get My Drink On & My Smoke On, How Tha West Was Won