Review: Diddy-Dirty Money - Last Train to Paris
Much like its predecessor, “Press Play”, Diddy (with the ladies of Dirty Money) returns to finish what he started. I do not doubt that Diddy took inspiration for the project from his jet-setting lifestyle as well as the electronic sounds that were bleeding into the music of The Black Eyed Peas, Joe Jonas, Rihanna, Kanye West, Usher, and Chris Brown. Following the release of this project, I would argue that Diddy fabricated a signature aesthetic from which all future releases would be rooted. "Last Train to Paris" hosts a troop of sounds that are dark and heavily electronic, which come together to tell a story that is rich in texture and tone. The real meat of this project comes through in the cohesiveness and sequencing of it all, manifesting into an EXCEPTIONAL, classic record from top to bottom. In every song you get a taste of all the elements Diddy-Dirty Money went in with on this project. And all of this is done in quintessential Bad Boy flare from the styling, visuals, promo shots, etc. It is ALL FLY AS HELL! While I wished the group got to toy with more sounds and continue to innovate, this would be the only majorly released project (they released a mixtape called "Love Love Vs. Hate Love - Valentine's Day Love Mix" following the major album release).
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, please join me in this RNB Nerd review of Diddy-Dirty Money "Last Train to Paris"
“Intro” does a fantastic job at preparing your ears for what you are about to experience in the 16-song set. Fans of the industry veteran would learn in this one minute and thirty-three seconds that this would be unlike anything we had yet heard from Diddy. The excitement and rush I got from hearing this on first listen still exists today because I know this represented everything that I love about contemporary R&B music; pushing boundaries and creating something radically different but never sounds unfamiliar. Hearing Dawn’s distorted vocals, the pulsating beat, and Diddy asking God to help him survive pain from a love that he compares to someone taking his soul, does well to set the stage. In his own words, “love is a motherfucker”.
BOOM, we enter right into the insane atmosphere that can be heard in “Ass on the Floor”. The drums, synths, and the strings make this record full and substansive. Diddy and the ladies made a splendid concoction that just builds and builds. Swizz Beatz lends his energy to the record, serving as a hype man of sorts and Diddy adds a bold and confident verse halfway through. The real star of the song are the gorgeous ad-libs and vocal runs by Kalenna and Dawn. My ear always gravitates toward those moments. One of many stellar records that deserves all the love that surrounds it by both fans and music critics alike.
With a feature from the icon herself, Grace Jones, “Yeah Yeah You Would” kicks the door down with another drum heavy record. The best way I can describe the production here is a mixture of warped sirens accompanied with the growl of a zipper. The vocals are beautiful and easy, softening the aggressive feel of the record. Danja flexed his genius on this one because everything from the production front is perfect. The arrangement is also a standout and in order to spot Grace, you have to really pay attention. This song was SO ahead of its time.
“I Hate That You Love Me” is FIRE. The record feels airy and light on its feet. The number of influences and references that this brings to mind is HUGE. At just four songs in, you can already get the sense that so much heart and soul went into these melodies and lyrics. You can feel the heavy bass and the groove is consistent from start to finish, giving you plenty of time to bop your head. Sounding radically different from the prior records, “I Hate That You Love Me” reflects the amount of exploration that went into Dirty Money’s search for finding the best way to convey the sentiment that is at the center of this entire body of work. This never gets old!
“Someone to Love Me” keeps the focus on Diddy, since the vocals from both Dawn and Kalenna are absent. One of four tracks on the project to do so, it makes sense to balance the more emotionally charged records against the experiences from a solely male perspective. Probably the most stripped back record on the project, you hear Diddy loud and clear. His flow is consistent and is kissed with the gritty, wild-wild-west production and soulful vocal sample from The Sweet Inspirations.
The Dirty Money Crew waste no time getting right back in the saddle of that futuristic, cyber-punk Danja production on “Hate You Now”. The cherry on top is the HEAVY and CLEAR influence from the iconic James Fauntleroy. Everything about this song is FUTURE SOUL, a description that Diddy would often use in promotion and interviews about the project. I think this can be felt as one of the many threads that run through everything we hear, along with heartbreak, regret, and adoration. The bridge is the best part in my opinion, the second best being the first moment the beat comes in at the beginning. This record SURGES with energy, strongly tapping into that feeling of what it feels like to now hate someone that you care deeply for.
“Your Love” is the perfect follow up to “Hate You Now”, as it feels to be the moment where the truth is revealed. The hate stems from wanting to rekindle a flame again. Boisterous and prideful, you won’t leave this song without knowing why Diddy is the cream of the crop. Musically, the song is perfectly aligned with the output from Trey Songz at the time. So, it is fitting that he bring his musical styling and brand of swagger to a record that is at its core, Diddy masking his pain. I don’t know, I think it adds more depth to the record when you consider it from this perspective and the songs placement in the overall project. Every heartbroken man needs that one night after the fresh wound from a romantic separation.
“Shades” is the somber come down from the heightened climb of emotions that we just ascended to. Lil Wayne opens the track with an almost spoken-word performance, a prelude of the scene we are about to experience in the next five minutes. The longest record on the project, I think the wildest part of this record is to hear BILAL (WHAT!?), Diddy, and Justin Timberlake HARMONIZE on the chorus. I know their degrees of separation are not that much, but just writing that in a sentence is crazy to me lol Either way, the vocals all compliment each other and get to shine in their unique way. There is some HEAVY Prince influence in here that cannot be denied. The production is dripping in synths and takes you straight to outer-space. D’Mile is credited as the producer and I would have never imagined that. That alone makes me love the song more.
This would not be a Diddy album without tying it into the legacy that he helped build and “Angels” does just that. Not just from the Biggie Smalls sample, but in the organic fusion of Hip-Hop and R&B flavor over a ballad that he sings almost completely by himself. I cannot help but return to a similar moment of his, another letter to heaven, “I’ll Be Missing You”. "Angels" is a slower record to help chill down the FIRE that dominates a majority of the album. Just turn it up and RELAX, you have to feel this one.
“Strobe Lights” is our second Lil Wayne feature and he adds a nice touch, bringing his fun, je ne sais quoi to the more focused performances from Diddy, Kalenna, and Dawn. The ladies sound so full and lush singing their adlibs, “Strobe-lights dance with the stars”, "I know that love is gone tomorrow, when the lights they fade away” MY FAVE. Producer 7 Aurelius is a genius everywhere he goes and this is another example of that. Another moment where we return to that techno territory from earlier on “Hate You Now”, the production is unexpected, funky, with lots of bounce. The bridge ties the record together beautifully and delivers a singable moment that highlights the euro elements that have been steady from the introduction.
“Looking For Love” is the song that pushed me to prioritize this review ASAP. Sitting in traffic, my ears zoomed right into Usher’s powerful croon on the line, “She get it in all way turned up, she a rider, she says she's in the mood for loveeeeeee”. Even with the weight from the production, that consists of heavy-bass and a non-stop knock, I could hear and FEEL the soul pouring out from Usher on those lines. Needless to say, Usher brought the VIBE and killed his verse on the record. Not to mention ALL THOSE INSANE ad-libs, this entire record is SICK.
What stands out the most from “I Know” are the H A R M O N I E S. MY GOD! They are unlike anything else I have ever heard, every second is overflowing with soul and makes me appreciate every single person who made this incredible record. The lyrics, the ad-libs, the background vocals, every last bit of this song is immaculate. I wish I could tell you the way this song fills me up. Particularly in those moments when I feel disconnected from everything going on in my life or when I think about all the things I have experienced. There is tremendous pain, especially in Chris’s voice, but also an overwhelming sense of a tender, deep love that just spins round and round. The song rushes through with pulsating electric beats, piano, and an undying feeling of unashamed vulnerability. This song reminds me that GREAT MUSIC WILL NEVER DIE.
“Hello Good Morning”, like Britney Spears’ “Gimme More" sent me into a DANJA OBSESSION. Danja’s production and musicality has spoken to me in ways that I cannot describe. A melting pot of synths, Ibiza style house, and moments of pressure explode with a release from what sounds like VIDEO GAME background music on the Super Nintendo from games like Double Dragon or Contra. TELL ME YOU DON'T HEAR THAT, FAM!? This happens at the bridge and MAN ON MAN that is the moment of true “Last Train to Paris” greatness. To me, these 30 seconds of Diddy going off over his flow and flossing his greatness, epitomize what Diddy-Dirty Money wanted the world to hear AND see (you should watch the video too!). Their second biggest song from the project, I would bet that I am not alone here in my assessment :)
“Yesterday” truly paints a sea of emotions; hopelessness, regret, and the struggle to let go of someone you don't want to. Like sand escaping from your hands, the harder you try to keep a grasp on someone, it only leads to further loss. Those are the feelings that Chris and Diddy are touching on here and I think the agony of that experience is conveyed well by both artists, especially in the lyrics. Another masterfully executed record and collaboration that they did with Chris for this album.
After spinning the album a number of times for this exercise, I can clearly hear why this song was written for T.I. “Coming Home” reflects the moment in time that it was created. And maybe that helps to create the bridge between this song and the rest of the set, because otherwise it can feel out of place. At a time where worlds were colliding all around us, it is no surprise that an album by Diddy (who was cooking with vast electronic and euro sounds), would also include a record with production credits from Alex Da Kid and writing credits from Skylar Gray. This sounds JUST like them. Whether that's good or bad, I will let you be the judge. This is Diddy-Dirty Money’s biggest commercial song from the album and thus, indeed there was success in the record's ability to resonate with the greater music consuming population.
“Loving You No More” features Drake assisting with a few bars, while the Dirty Money Crew do their thing on the singing front. The group ride that piano melody SO damn good, with powerful vocals from the ladies and Diddy’s autotune singing meshing nicely along the beat. Another stripped back moment, the electronic elements are very much alive but only so subtly. The lyrics are sensitive and fit the delicate vibe of the overall song, conveying some painful realizations that have to be confronted.
All the bigness that was hyped for this project did not fail to deliver. Diddy-Dirty Money made you FEEL the evolution that had taken place in the process of making this album. As I shared on the @RNBNerd Instagram, this album is something that helps me remember who I am and helps me to feel like myself. The project is raw and with an emphasis on showing us the many faces of emotions that we experience in this life. I believe maximum reach was achieved through authentically sentimental songwriting and an insane attention to detail that is evident in just how many collaborators came together and yet this still sounds 100% cohesive. This project still holds its weight today and I hope you give it a listen and maybe you will hear what I do! A project ahead of its time and unlike anything else, CHEERS to "Last Train to Paris" for being a moment for the culture that will forever be celebrated in the hearts of everyone who still listens today.
