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This is the first long player we've had from Sean
Combs for some time - five years in fact. Since The
Saga Continues he's been fighting a tough musical
battle, completing but not releasing a gospel album
and embarking on an unsuccessful venture into house
music that initially rocked the Miami music conference
in 2003 but had little impact above ground. And the
less said about his move into the world of fragrance,
the better!
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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