A collection of tracks from
Snoop's Welcome to tha Chuuch mixtape series, Koch's Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album gives these tracks their first aboveground exposure. There are a bunch of worthy newcomers, plus veterans of the West Coast like Daz,
Kurupt, and
Lady of Rage, but there's very little of
Snoop himself and definitely less than was found on the original mixtapes. Still, the tracks retain their street feel and there's plenty of heat, even if the album as a whole is poorly sequenced with shabby packaging. The West Coast faithful and
Snoop fanatics who don't have access to the shady world of mixtapes should check it if only for the raw feel, but everyone else can pass. [Hi-Note Music issued a U.K. edition in 2008.] ~ David Jeffries