Press Play [PA] (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Kristal "Tytewriter" Oliver, Iyanna Dean, Shay Winans, Jack Knight (vocals, background vocals); Christina Aguilera, D. Woods, Sarah Rosete, Mika Lett, Precious Harrison, Mike Winans, Betty Wright, Angela Hunte, Shannon "Slam" Lawrence, Mabvuto Carpenter, Nicole Scherzinger, Brandy, Cheri Dennis (vocals); Charile "CSUN" Bereal (guitar); Ms. Mia (harp); Emilio Castillo, David Woodford (tenor saxophone); Stephen "Doc" Kupka (baritone saxophone); Mike Bogart (trumpet, trombone); Adolfo Acosta (trumpet); Rob Lewis (Fender Rhodes piano); Arden Keys, will.i.am, Ervin Pope (keyboards); Brian Frazier Moore, Chally Dogg, John Blackwell (drums); Stacey Lamont Sydnor (percussion); Katrinia Carson (background vocals); Mario Winans (keyboards, drums).

Audio Mixers: Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica; Victor Abijaudi; .....The Chairman Of The Boards Duro; Giz; Duroceo; Duro; Ken Ifill; Mike Patterson; Patrick Viala; Peter Mokran.

Recording information: Baseline Recording Studios II, New York, NY; Bass Clef Studios, New York, NY; Battery Studios, New York, NY; Boom Boom Recording Studio, CA; Boom Boom Room Recording Studio, CA; Chalice Recording Studios, CA; Chalice Studios, CA; Chicago Recording Company, IL; Crescent Moon Studios, FL; Daddy's House Recording Studios, New York, NY; Darp Studios, GA; Encore Studios, CA; Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL; Paramount Recording Studios, CA; Record Paramount Studios, CA; Record Plant, CA; Right Tracks Studios, New York, NY; Showtime Studios, IL; Shut Em Down Studios, NJ; South Beach Studios, FL; Stankonia Recording, Atlanta, GA; the Compound.

Photographer: Eric Ogden.

Arrangers: Rob Lewis; Ethan Farmer.

As a rapper, producer, record company owner, and general hip-hop mogul, Sean Combs undoubtedly has the Midas touch. Each of his projects turns to gold, whether he's producing hits for the likes of Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey, launching successful albums by the Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans, or creating his own pop-ready output. By 2006, Combs (whose professional name changed from Puff Daddy, to P. Diddy, to Diddy) was such an omnipotent force in the world of hip-hop that it's no surprise PRESS PLAY overflows with blockbuster status and has music's biggest superstars all over the guest list.

Combs's sample-reliant tracks have always been given to familiar, radio-ready hooks rather than sonic innovation, and it's in this area that he finally delivers by recruiting the hottest producers in the game for PRESS PLAY. Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Will I. Am, and Just Blaze, among others, give the album a decidedly contemporary feel by contributing dense, layered, gorgeous tracks that challenge without sacrificing Diddy's pop appeal. Also, the artist's rhymes, while serviceable, have never been top-notch, but he overcomes that shortcoming, too, by inviting an A-list of rappers and singers, including Nas, Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx, Keisha Cole, Outkast's Big Boi, and others. The album is a glittering, glamorous listen, destined for major club and radio play. PRESS PLAY reveals Combs's true talent, which is not for showcasing his own abilities, but for creating seismic hip-hop events.

Diddy spent the five years since the release of his previous solo album making (and shelving) a gospel album, dabbling (or flailing) in dance music, running in the New York City Marathon, developing a perfume called (almost unbelievably) Unforgivable, and undoubtedly doing many other important things. His Bad Boy empire settled into a severe lull until the summer of 2006, when Yung Joc's "It's Going Down," Cassie's "Me&U," and the Danity Kane album revived the label. Press Play is well timed, and it's also well endowed: the roster of collaborators and guests is both extensive and impressive enough to entice the severely Diddy-resistant. Peculiarly enough, Diddy's practically the opening act on his own album. During the first several tracks, he's the dominant voice, dishing out the expected variations on his wildly hubristic boasts of old, and that includes a baffling gritted-teeth threat like "America, fall back, you can't stop me/Got a thing for pigeon-toed chicks who walk knock-kneed." On his own, he does not deliver. Around track six, the guests begin to take over the 80-minute program, and the album morphs into a theatrical examination of love and romance that is partly randomized but mostly tremendous. Apparently inspired by his relationships with ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and his wife, Diddy and his shifting cast of fellow songwriters/producers pen a series of songs -- you could almost call it a suite -- emboldened by a round of knockout performances from several women. Multi-threat up-and-comer Keri Hilson (watch for her), Brandy, Keyshia Cole, and Mary J. Blige all take lead roles and make up the heart of the album. This last half-hour of the album, with the exception of a couple instances where Diddy could've left everything in the hands of the vocalists, teeters on the edge of brilliance. Timbaland (with partner Nathanial "Danja" Hill) and Mario Winans (with Diddy) deliver robust, imaginative productions that lay the majority of modern-day R&B tracks to waste (glints of left-field dance music and the new wave that inspired it are incorporated to great effect), while Rich Harrison expectedly and thrillingly blends the blaring with the lush behind Blige. The rest of the album is worth talking about, as it involves noteworthy appearances from Christina Aguilera, Ciara, Nas, Big Boi, Cee-Lo, and several others, but it's less risky and not nearly as remarkable as the closing stretch. All told, the number of memorable hooks on display here is surprising. ~ Andy Kellman minimize