Whenever I write a review I also have to ask the question first, who is this? When it comes to Diddy the question becomes harder than ever. Hip-Hop mogul, rapper, producer, talent scout, promoter, spokesman, entrepreneur, party-host, Diddy is all of these things, so when you are reviewing an album it becomes an affair of considering his entire persona, or does it? The album is still an inconsiderate form, giving the listener the power to scrutinize freely, without the artist available to justify the criticisms the listener is able to spur. So no matter what Diddy is when he isn't behind the microphone, when he is, he needs to be considered as such. Now that that's out of the way, Diddy doesn't innovate or bring ingenuity to the music and his ghostwriters aren't as transparent as he might like. Instead Diddy brings charisma and dance-fat to an increasingly bloated genre that is indulging more than it is exercising.



The album can musically be cut in half. The first half is a little more hardcore and gritty, utilizing strong beats and sinister melodies on egotistical songs that boast to converted ears. While the second half, moreover the other 3/4, are devoted to dance.



K-Def provides an immense bouncing fanfare that Diddy can rub against comfortably while Jack Knight sings a Curtis Mayfield sounding chorus on "We Gon' Make It". After, Diddy embodies Pharoah Monche as he weaves through an Organized Konfusion-esque clapping rhythm on "The Future" then again on "Hold Up", only now in front of tinkling chimes and children's voices. On the latter Diddy sounds so much like Monche it's a pang to the writer and not the rapper. After these rather bleak tracks Diddy goes right into dance mode with "Come to Me' featuring Nicole Scherzinger, one of a dozen similar-sounding female vocalists. Diddy comes off adorable with his squeeky voice amidst spacey synths and ruptured basses, more like the Diddy we've grown familiar with. The rest of the tracks seem to go more for the dance floor than anything else, featuring artists such as Christina Aguilera, Big Boi, Timbaland, Twista, and Brandy. Timbaland brings some other-worldy beat to the show stealing raps of Big Boi on "Wanna Move", and on another highlight Cee-Lo sings soulfully on a genuine Chicago beat as Diddy and Nas exchange verses. If there is one thing Diddy is able to do on Press Play it's creating some excellent pairings and matching unusual chemistry with phenomenal producers; if Nas doesn't sound the best he has in years against the Kanye West produced "Everything I Love" then I'm a damn chicken.



There are undeniable Hip-Hop moments on Press Play that raise the standards of Hip-Hop, where everything is in just the right place, such as on "Everything I Love", but there's so much dance music on the album its inconsistencies outshine its strengths. I still don't know what to think about the bland disco "Special Feeling" or euphoric bounce of "Through The Pain", or even the jungle inspired "Thought You Said" featuring Brandy. Even the Mary J. Blige track "Making It Hard" sounds too much like J. Lo's "Get Right" and fails to capitalize on Blige's wrenching voice. Through it all Diddy remains quite anonymous. So, even though it's got Diddy's name attached to it, Press Play's finest moments are few, and don't come from the one in question.



Track Listing:



1. Testimonial (intro)

2. We Gon' Make It featuring Jack Knight

3. I Am (interlude)

4. The Future

5. Hold Up

6. Come To Me featuring Nicole Scherzinger

7. Tell Me featuring Christina Aguilera

8. Wann Move featuring Big Boi, Ciara, and Scar

9. Diddy Rock featuring Timbaland, Twista, and Shawnna

10. Claim My Place (interlude) featuring Avant

11. Everything I Love featuring Nas and Cee-Lo

12. Special Feeling featuring Mika Lett

13. Crazy Thang (interlude) featuring S. Rosette

14. After Love featuring Keri

15. Through The Pain (She Told Me) featuring Mario Winans

16. Thought You Said featuring Brandy

17. Last Night featuring Keyshia Cole

18. Making It Hard featuring Mary J. Blige

19. Partners For Life featuring Jamie Foxx