NY Post rates Press Play
Dan Aquilante reviewed Diddys latest album Press Play in NY Post and gave it 4/5. Here’s the full review:
The guests on Sean Combs’ latest CD are so A-list that’s it’s easy to forget whose album it actually is.
Sharing track space with the artist currently known as Diddy are Mary J. Blige, Christine Aguilera, Jamie Foxx, Nas, Cee-Lo, Twista, Brandy, Timbaland, Ciara and OutKast’s Big Boi – to name just a few.
Musically, there isn’t a dud on the 19-track disc, although the four interludes are more like quaaludes. Upfront, on the disc’s first single, Nicole Scherzinger (the Pussycat Dolls’ main meow) is paired with Diddy for the sexy invitation “Come to Me.” The layered electro rap is the record’s top dance track.
The disc takes wild and welcome swings between his raps, vocals by an all-star roster of R&B and pop singers and innovative beats designed by an equally elite squad of producers including Kanye West, Timbaland, the Neptunes and Will.I.Am.
The group effort that riddles almost every track makes “Press Play” an exciting listen. The diversity and innovation completely gel on “Wanna Move,” where Big Boi, Scar and the coos of sexy Ciara bolster Diddy’s rhymes. The amount of writing and production to make all of the elements work on this one song is staggering.
The disc is also smart in that it doesn’t try to make Diddy anything he isn’t. The Page Six-ready diamond-flashing professional celebrity has dropped his pretenses of being a tough guy. “Press Play” is an optimistic album about the good life and the rewards of work.
