Albums: Warren G

The Return of the Regulator, Universal

You should never go back, they say, although you can hardly blame Warren G for trying. Just as Meatloaf reacted to a decade of decline by releasing Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell, Warren G has attempted to halt the growing indifference to his output of bad Tina Turner cover versions by reminding people why they used to like him. The Return Of The Regulator is basically Regulate: G Funk Era Pt 2, a belated sequel to the sublime synthetic hip-hop of his epoch-defining 1994 debut. Every now and then, he recaptures that magic: "Young Locs Slow Down", is a particularly tasty cut, and the funny/sick rhymes are still present and correct. The album is most notable for a reunion of the infamous 213 clique (Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren) on "Yo Sassy Ways", a cheeky reworking of William De Vaughn's "Be Thankful For What You've Got". But if what you've got is the original, be thankful.