Tagline: 'Ladies and gentlemen, yeah, I'm here to tell you that this is a brand new sound / This, this will change your lives / All you gotta do is turn your shit up, turn your shit up'
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has always been a man of big declarations. If nothing else, this is a man who knows how to place his products, which was no different in his communications regarding his latest album ‘Last Train To Paris’. The question is then of course: is he truly a visionary or is he just full of crap? Because the thing is that Combs has tried to emphasize his innovative qualities once too often. And the reality is that he had to make up for something – his 2006 effort ’Press Play’, despite its high aim, was downright boring. So Combs would have to come back stronger than ever so as to prove that he is more than a slightly delusional has-been ‘bad boy’, who used to be big in music but has lately been spending most of his time seeking PA’s, assembling bands and re-establishing his musical credibility.
Unfortunately ‘Last Train To Paris’ did not augur well right from the start. Riding on the wave of ‘what’s in’, he had set out to create a more electronic album to succeed ‘Press Play’. It sounded promising and alarming at the same time bearing in mind the worrisome previews we got from ‘making his band’, the reality show through which he sought a support band for the ‘Last Train’ live tour. Originally scheduled for an autumn release however, the album was pushed back to late last year. Yet, despite justified skepticism ‘Last Train To Paris’ is not as bad as was to be expected. One reason for that is probably that despite Combs’ shift toward reality-tv, he’s remained ambitious when it comes to his music. Having said that though, a problem of overarching seems to remain. Combs undisputedly has vision, things just tend to go pear-shaped in the execution phase.
The intensions were right though. Combs had an intricate concept in mind for this record, which would sound couture, with a more electronic approach. In short, it would introduce something new entirely. But ‘a brand new sound’ it ain’t. Lead single ‘Hello, Good Morning’ also reveals much of the issue. There is nothing wrong with the song, but it does sound familiar coming from him. The deep bass beats seem to be his trademark and the electronics even sound slightly unfortunate. The album as a whole just doesn’t deliver on expectations. After about two years of hyping Diddy seems to have been overtaken by the competition. During his absence the whole eurodance thing became established in the U.S. somewhat trivializing Last Train’s innovative character, which rarely exceeds the average level of what’s already out there (think for instance Jason Derülo). The guest list – albeit impressive – doesn’t change much about that, given some of the features feel random or even a bit out of place. And what is worse, at times he Diddy is upstaged by his guests. Nicki Minaj to name one has more poise and originality in her little finger than Diddy in his entire body and in his own field – let’s, for arguments sake, say that that’s rapping – he can rarely compete with the likes of T.I. and Drake (both on an intellectual level as with regard to lyrical flow). And let’s not even mention his ... dancing.
Adding Dirty-Money to his act seems to be his way to make up for his lack in vocal skills – and it does the trick – but it fails in actually adding anything substantial to the songs. They definitely sound alright, but it’s unclear what makes them indispensible. It seems symptomatic for his music, which sometimes feels a bit hollow, like a big, empty box, with a nice red ribbon wrapped around it. For someone who seeks to push the envelope and aspires to be an innovator, ‘Last Train To Paris’ is disappointingly close to strike two, rather than being a homerun. ‘Last Train’ is a fairly commendable record, the problem is that Diddy just can’t seem to live up to the musical standards he sets for himself. He seems to be getting gradually yet increasingly exposed as someone who has always been able to sell himself as more talented than he actually was. In that he remains a socialite, entrepreneur and reality-television producer above all, more pleasant than he leads on to believe, but also less talented.
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Yeah Yeah You Would (ft. Grace Jones)
3. I Hate That You Love Me
4. Ass On The Floor (ft. Swizz Beats)
5. Looking For Love (ft. Usher)
6. Someone To Love Me
7. Hate You Now
8. Yesterday (ft. Chris Brown)
9. Shades (ft. Justin Timberlake, Bilal, Lil Wayne, James Fauntleroy)
10. Angels (ft. The Notorious B.I.G. & Rick Ross)
11. Your Love (ft. Trey Songz)
12. Strobe Lights (ft. Lil Wayne)
13. Hello Good Morning ft. T.I.)
14. I know (ft. Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa & Seven)
15. Coming Home (ft. Skylar Grey
16. Loving You No More (ft. Drake)
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