Returning to his bread and butter of self-promoting hip hop, he drops the 'P' from his name - everywhere except the UK that is - the surprising result of a legal battle with a little known house DJ.

A cursory glance at the tracklisting brings fears of pro-celebrity hip hop, the divas, rappers and new kids on the block queuing up in droves for their guest slots. But when you do as Combs asks, and press play, the outcome is sharply refreshing.

Even lyrically, aside from the predictable posturing and ego-massaging, Diddy seems to have stepped up a notch. Early on his task is to remind us who he is, why he got where he did and how good he continues to be. All head swelling sentiments of course, but few rappers would get away with rhyming "spinach" and "diminish" quite so easily, nor would too many observe that their style spreads like bird flu. The verbal tricks are all carried off with pizzazz in the musical arrangements.

And then the guests take over, Diddy takes a back seat on his own album, and the 80-minute marathon heads into its defining stages. The edgy Tell Me takes Christina Aguilera back to sultry vocalizing. Newcomer Keri Hilson causes quite a stir on After Love, that rarest of things - an R&B track that pushes forward with no semblance of formula. Twista and Big Boi take care of business on the rap side of things, their quickfire contributions lighting up the album's core.

Combs' production throughout is striking, always on its toes. Everything I Love rolls its rhythm back and forward, punctuated by big band phrasing. Through The Pain, featuring Mario Winans, takes an 80s style soul groove and clouds it with ambiguous harmonies, reflective and funky all at the same time. The way Diddy blends this into Brandy's Thought You Said is truly thrilling, branching unbelievably into breakbeat. Special Feeling meanwhile struts its stuff at the disco, with Mika Lett and Diddy offering vocal asides.

We weren't expecting this. Certainly the single Come To Me, the least exciting track here, offered precious little clue to the quality of this record, a cracking album that holds its own for almost the entire duration. Diddy's back with what may well be his best album yet, and he can believe his own hype once more.

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Mercury Prize 2009 nominees