Press Play ... Again and Again and Again
5
By Wade Ritchie
From the fall of 2006 to the fall of 2007, I found myself very energized by the Hip-Hop scene. Just think about the great releases during that time ... Jay-Z's Kingdom Come, Kanye's Graduation, Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSound ... the great albums just kept coming and coming. But of them all, there was ONE album that stood out among the rest ... stood out not only as the biggest surprise to me, but also as the best lyrically and the best musically. That album? Diddy's Press Play!! This album isn't a collection of songs ... it is a journey. From the get-go, the songs just trend stronger and stronger. The one thing that I will never figure out about this album is this ... who is making the decisions on what songs to release to radio and the listening public? Several of the strongest songs of the album ... Wanna Move, Diddy Rock, and After Love ... never did make it to the airwaves. Those were my 3 favorite songs by a long shot, however none of them really ever made it to the public airwaves or MTV. That's the only disappointment that I found with this album in the end ... the fact that the after album release marketing ultimately held the album back in its success in my view. But otherwise, this album represents WHY Diddy is a superstar in my book.
Press Play is Okay
4
By btaznpride
Diddy & Co. are back, after several successful releases from his Bad Boy label, he got in the studio and created Press Play, so that's what we will do.
Testimonial: A great intro, with a simple piano melody, Diddy spits some bars to open the album. 3/5
We Gon Make It: A feel good opener, Jack Knight handles the hook. Lyrically it's just Diddy doin his thing with his undeniable swag. 3/5
I Am: The production on this I really loved, the horns are great, however Diddy isn't that good of a rapper. The remix with Lil' Wayne is much better. 3/5
The Future: Hard hitting beat with chanting, Diddy invisions the future and does an interesting picture. 3/5
Hold Up: Wu Tang like production with the children, uplifting track. 3/5
Come To Me: Diddy takes it to the club, perfect club banger, which is exactly what it is made to be, along with Nicole Scherzinger. 4/5
Tell Me: Just Blaze's production is okay, not a great, Christina shines. Diddy does average. 3/5
Wanna Move: Danja's production is genius. Club bumpin beat, Big Boi kills his verse and the hook is in good hands with Ciara and Scar. 4/5
Diddy Rock: Another hot Danja beat, Timbaland handles a solid hook, Twista & Shawnna both shine on their verses.
Everything I Love: Production wasn't bad, Diddy did well, average hook and then Nas did his thing. 3/5
Special Feeling: Will.I.Am produces this Michael Jackson like feel, organs and piano give a real pop feel. 3/5
After Love: Excellent production, Keri sings a great hook, beautiful track, a fav. 5/5
Through The Pain: A recognizable Mario Winans production, it is smooth and you can feel the pain. 4/5
Thought You Said: Upbeat, Brandy shines on this. 3/5
Last Night: The third single, I loved this track ever since Keyshia Cole's show that she sang vocals. Great beat, amazing track. 5/5
Making It Hard: Soulful and rich production, it ends up being average, Mary does okay. 3/5
Partners For Life: The Neptunes production is smooth and a nice ending for the album, with Jamie Foxx's nice hook. 3/5
Diddy does well, with his all star gang of producers, artists, etc. Getting a lot of help, he creates a very musical album that has nice melodies, some club beats, and soulful stuff. Diddy get's by and this album is like a story, with A list beats.
Rating 8 out of 10
