As we are well into the new year now, I thought I should review my favourite album of last year, although it was slammed my many people as over commercial rubbish there was nothing else that struck me like this last year.

Diddy - Press Play


Track List

  1. Testimonial (Intro)
  2. We Gon' Make It featuring Jack Knight
  3. I Am (Interlude)
  4. The Future
  5. Come To Me featuring Nicole Scherzinger
  6. Tell Me featuring Christina Aguilera
  7. Wanna Move featuring Big Boi, Ciara and Scar
  8. Diddy Rock featuring Timbaland, Twista and Shawnna
  9. Claim My Place (Interlude)
  10. Everything I Love featuring Nas and Cee-Lo
  11. Special Feeling featuring Mika Lett
  12. Crazy Thang (Interlude)
  13. After Love featuring Keri
  14. Through The Pain (She Told Me) featuring Mario Winans
  15. Thought You Said featuring Brandy
  16. Last Night featuring Keyshia Cole
  17. Makin' It Hard featuring Mary J. Blige
  18. Partners For Life featuring Jamie Foxx
Label - Bad Boy/Atlantic

Producer(s)
Sean "Diddy" Combs (exec.)
Just Blaze
Timbaland
Danja
Mario Winans
Kanye West
will.i.am
The Neptunes
Rich Harrison
Havoc
Rob Lewis
Jai
Younglord
K-Def
Grind Music

Diddy, P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean John, Sean Combs, Puffy... Whatever he calls himself these days, the master of Hip-Hop production returned late 2006 with Press Play, his latest & in my opinion greatest studio album to date.

All the hate in the world could not stop this record, & believe me, critics have tried, from the offset this album hits you like no other with the calm, well rhymed lyrics on the intro, the well defined, well designed chapters soon become apparent with the mainly solo part of the album with tracks 1, 3, & 4. The mood is soon set into one that is the ego increasing, me me me style that is Diddy, the ego inflating "Future" is the ultimate brag track.

We are soon sent into the bulk of the album with the collaborations which include; Nicole Scherzinger, Christina Aguilera, Nas, Cee-Lo, Brandy, Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige, Timbaland, Twista, Big Boi, Ciara and Scar just to name a few. The commanding power of Diddy is obviously put to use to bring some fantastic artists together on the same LP.

Highlights of the album definitely include Last Night featuring Keyshia Cole (which will be the 3rd single from the album), Diddy Rock featuring Timbaland, Twista and Shawnna, which features some of the tightest production values I have ever heard on a track plus the fantastic Thought You Said featuring Brandy, this is most definitely the one for me, it features Drum & Base inspired production & beats of which I have never seen from a US artist with the calibre of Diddy, it is brilliantly original with a very energetic, powerful feel to it.

Already the jealousy bug has bitten Diddy over this album, it has been slammed by many a critic who sometimes fairly say it is not Hip-Hop. I agree it is not old school or original Hip-Hop, but it shouldn't be judged for this. It is pure, beat driven, commercial incredible produced R&B, if you can accept it for what it is then maybe you will see the brilliance of this record & maybe you will feel the beat too.

***** 5 Star