Oh to be a hyphenate on the order of Diddy. Concert-promoter-rapper-A&R-rep-record-executive-fashion-mogul-restauranteur-defendant-actor-activist-reality-show-producer- oh for God’s sake let’s just stop it and say….ehhhhh….pop culture magnate.  The man born Sean Combs has proven adept at so many things it’s easier to count what he hasn’t done. Among those things – not very often anyway – would be sharing any spotlight.  And yet – that is exactly what he is doing with his latest musical endeavour, the hip hop-meets-Euro disco trio Diddy Dirty Money.  As that title, Last Train to Paris, and that cover – a shot inside of the still-stunning-forty-years-on Centre Georges Pompidou – suggests, this record definitely plants a foot in the continent, both musically and thematically, with Diddy’s protagonist in the middle of a love lost-and-regained story.

So while yes, it’s a trio, make no mistake, it’s hardly a three-way split here. And yet  it’s Dirty Money – Dawn Richards and Kalenna Harper – who’ve won much of the praise in early reviews of the album, adding pipes, a soulful edge and style missing from previous Diddy, P Diddy or Puff Daddy albums. Diddy has said that among those who influenced the sound of the new record were Euro club giants Deep Dish and Felix da Housecat, as well as the great ‘80’’s band Soul II Soul, and nowhere is that more evident than on “Angels” the now more than a year old lead single, featuring old pal Notorious BIG.  As far as living guest stars, it’s no surprise that Diddy has again amassed a VIP Room’s worth of them: T.I., on the spring single “Hello Good Morning”, Drake on “Loving You No More”, Usher on “Looking for Love”, Justin Timberlake on “Shades”, Swizz Beats on new video “Ass on the Floor”, plus Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Chris Brown and the great one, Grace Jones on opener “Yeah Yeah You Would”.  

Quite the all star lineup – and in fact so far reviews have been mixed to good. And not it’s time for you to weigh in! Listen to Last Train to Paris – rate it and publish your review of Diddy Dirty Money’s debut on Noisevox!