| Press Play | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | P. Diddy |
| Cover: | Diddy - Press Play.jpg |
| Released: | October 17, 2006 |
| Recorded: | 2005–2006 |
| Length: | 78:58 |
| Prev Title: | We Invented the Remix |
| Prev Year: | 2002 |
| Next Title: | Last Train to Paris |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
Press Play is the fourth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Sean Combs, under the name "P. Diddy". It was released on October 17, 2006, by Bad Boy Records in a joint venture with Warner Music Group's Atlantic Records, serving as his only album with the label. Press Play was intended to be released under Combs' stage name of simply "Diddy", but a lawsuit from DJ Richard "Diddy" Dearlove effectively prevented him from doing so; however, it was released under Combs' "Diddy" name in regions in which it was not registered.[1]
Musically, Press Play predominantly features guest contributions from R&B and hip hop performers including Nicole Scherzinger, Christina Aguilera, Keyshia Cole, Brandy, Jamie Foxx, Ciara, Nas, Timbaland, Mary J. Blige, CeeLo Green, Keri Hilson, Big Boi, Mario Winans, Avant and Fergie, among others.[2] [3] Primarily dance-pop and hip hop-oriented in sound, it is a loose conceptual album with lyrical themes discussing the ups and downs of a relationship.[3]
The album was preceded by the single "Come to Me", which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. After the album's release, it spawned the singles "Tell Me", "Last Night" and "Through the Pain (She Told Me)". It became available to the preview on MTV's The Leak on October 10, 2006, one week before the album was sold in stores.[4] Press Play received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics.[5]
Based on an aggregation of 19 critics' reviews, Metacritic graded Press Play 62 out of 100 points for "generally favorable reviews".
Allmusic rated the album four stars out of five, with Andy Kellman praising the choice of featured artists: "...the roster of collaborators and guests is both extensive and impressive..." Will Hermes of Entertainment Weekly, in grading the album with a B, had mild praise for Diddy's rapping style: "While Combs isn't a great rapper, he's more nimble and lyrically substantive than usual." However, Hermes also commented that the drug references and profanities in the lyrics "don't square with Diddy's current CEO persona."
However, several reviewers had mixed views, praising the musical styles while questioning Diddy's rapping abilities. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone wrote: "Diddy's rhymes are more adept than they used to be, but his flat voice and retro boasts drag things down." For The Guardian, Alexis Petridis commented: "The musical brilliance that surrounds him only serves to highlight Combs's shortcomings as a rapper." Petridis also criticized Diddy for "halting delivery" and "self-aggrandisement."
Los Angeles Times critic Natalie Nichols commented that Diddy was "innovative and versatile" for favoring instrumentation over sampling and integrating different styles like funk and drum and bass. However, Nichols rated the album two stars out of four, as she considered some of the tracks "overly long and overblown". For About.com, Ivan Rott praised the album overall as a "nice, eclectic musical journey" but was ambivalent about the songwriting, calling some tracks "mature, albeit schmaltzy" and others "arrogant".
Similarly, Mike Joseph had a 6-of-10 review for PopMatters, calling the album "quite easy to listen to" but panning some tracks as "forgettable". Slant Magazine rated the album three out of five stars, with Sal Cinquemani acknowledging it "might be the best-produced album" of 2006 but criticizing the songwriting: "Diddy still doesn’t have an original bone in his body or a fresh idea in his head..." For Billboard, Jeff Vrabel criticized the lyrical themes as "eye-rollingly egomaniacal even by Diddy standards" but praised the album as "a solid and often appealing party jam". Elysa Gardner of USA Today found there to be "a few cringe-inducing interludes".
Other critics had harsher criticisms. Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times regarded Press Play as "a garish, puzzling album" and "[not] the sort of CD people pick up when they want to explain what’s great about hip-hop." Chet Betz of Cokemachineglow rated the album 35 percent, calling Diddy a "voice that bumbles through every song".
Press Play debuted at number-one on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 170,000 copies.[6] [7]
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[8]
Limited edition
Notes
List of samples used in Press Play:
Testimonial (Intro)
We Gon' Make It
I Am (Interlude)
Hold Up
Special Feeling
Making It Hard
Last Night
Production
Writing credits:
| Chart (2007) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP)[10] | 105 | |
| UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 179 | |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 146 | |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] | 52 |