Snoop Lion, ‘Torn Apart’ Feat. Rita Ora – Song Review

If there is one thing that Snoop Dogg, er, Snoop Lion is adept at, it's getting hot pop starlets to work with him and feature on his tracks or to feature on theirs. Besides Miley Cyrus on 'Ashtrays and Heartbreaks,' he's recruited Brit diva Rita Ora for 'Torn Apart,' a decidedly reggae track where the two trade vocals in their DNA distinct styles.

On 'Torn Apart,' the third single from 'Reincarnated' (out April 23), Ora muses, "Say goodbye to / The one that got away" in the chorus; while her voice is treated with some studio effects there, it doesn't detract from the power of what she says.

She demonstrates some sass on the opening verse in the way that she stretches and exaggerates her pronunciation, which contrasts with Snoop's more measured and careful delivery on the second verse.

Clearly, the song is about romance. Ora's girly vocals snake nicely around Snoop's signature, lazy drawl and both live among horns and trumpets. This is nothing like No Doubt's highly stylized, distinctly pop take on reggae. It's much more Bob Marley-infused.

The song tackles a universal, been-done-before topic, but Snoop and Ora keep it fresh by making it a reggae track, as opposed to merely reggae-inspired. It could be winter and you could be amidst a Snowpocalypse, but you'd crank this song and it would instantly feel like a summer day.

This might not become one of Snoop's biggest hits a la 'Gin and Juice,' but it's a stellar addition to his catalog and one that begs to be remixed, thanks to its embeddable nature. That is, it camps out in your cranium long after the fade out.

Listen to Snoop Dogg, 'Torn Apart' Feat. Rita Ora