Live At Ryman Auditorium - Snoop Dogg

Sometimes it can be pulled off. When the late great Ray Charles decided to do a country album, most everyone around him thought he was crazy. However, sometimes talent supercedes all boundaries and, in Ray's case, brilliant music is born. Enter Snoop Dog (imagine the theme song to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" playing in the background). Word on the street is that Snoop is fixin' to drop some hayseed on his next LP. He recently appeared as a presenter at a Country Music Awards show (does it really matter which one?) and has been hinting that a new track due out in the near future will have a country flavor and be dedicated to the Man in Black himself - Johnny Cash. I'm pretty sure that if 'ol Johnny were still around he would have just bit off a piece of Snoop's ear amid the mud the blood and the beer. Am I wrong or is this just wrong. I would say this dramatic right turn/career-ender is on par with Reba McEntire cutting a duet with what's left of The Ramones (is there anything left? - I hope or I'll get slaughtered in the comments). With this upcoming musical-suckage exposed, it brings to mind some other horrific crossover attempts. If you think it comes off weird going from rap to country - how about going from country to rock?

Remember when Garth Brooks became Chris Gaines? I am laughing out loud just thinking about the "David Copperfield/hot chick with soul patch" look he was going for on the cover. Here is what Wikipedia had to say about Garth's crossover- "Although critics admired Brooks for taking a musical risk, the majority of the American public was either totally bewildered or completely unreceptive to the idea of Garth Brooks as anything but a pop-country singer." - and they weren't even trying to be funny! Whoever those "admiring critics" were they should have their throats slashed with jagged shards of Chris Gaines' CD's. When "the majority of the American public is left totally bewildered" it wasn't a good idea. I think Garth lost his mind humping Trisha Yearwood somewhere in the mid-90's.

Whether it's Snoop exchanging Gin and Juice for a Six Pack to Go or any other ill-fated crossover (see Bon Jovi lately), these douche-bags are due whatever comes their way.

Why do they do this? It would be like if Michael Jordan suddenly decided to play a totally different . . . . oh wait. At any rate, I hereby admonish you all to weigh in with your most despised crossover debacle.

ps - Wanna see how it's done right? Check out Jack White and Loretta Lynn on "Van Lear Rose" or Jerry Lee Lewis on "Thirty Nine and Holding"