Posted on November 25, 2009 - by Antoinette

Review: Rihanna: Rated R

The hardest thing to do once your groove has been interrupted is to get back on your grind. I don’t think anyone can argue the fact that Rihanna is coming back with a vengeance. That being said, I wonder how much of the hype surrounding her latest release- Rated R (Def Jam Records) is really about the music, and how much is support for a young woman who’s recently been through some things and is trying to put it all behind her.

The album’s first single “Russian Roulette” (written by Ne-Yo), has received some flack for its violent theme. Rihanna has explained that the song is about the chance one takes with the heart when one chooses to love. The whole thing leaves me wondering if the Def Jam publicity machine isn’t working overtime manufacturing these explanations so as to leave the public constantly trying to figure out if she’s talking about ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, or if she really is referring to love in the general sense.

Fortunately, the up-tempo “Hard”, featuring Young Jeezy and written by talented wordsmith Terius “the Dream” Nash, who single-handedly promoted Rihanna from the ranks of underachieving and uninspired pop songstress to superstardom by crafting her 2007 hit “Umbrella”- provides a much needed break from speculation and allows the listener to just enjoy the music. “Rude Boy” is another track that grants us permission to forget the unfortunate events in Rihanna’s recent past, and just vibe with a career-minded lady who hasn’t forgotten that, while the world sympathizes with her, her fans still want a lil something they can dance to. “Rockstar 101”- featuring Slash, is unarguably the track that helped earn the album its parental advisory label, with “Little Miss Sunshine” dropping one or two f-bombs along the way.

Unfortunately, the will.i.am. produced “Photographs” and the whiney (and maybe a little obvious) “Firebomb” drag us (kicking and screaming) back into tabloid land. On the Justin Timberlake written “Cold Case Love”, Rihanna sings “what you did to me was a crime…”
C’mon people- enough already.

Both Rihanna and Chris Brown are releasing albums right around the same time (Brown’s third album- Graffiti is scheduled for release December 8).While Brown’s album is more of what we have come to expect from him: dance driven, teeny-bopper fare with a few ballads mixed in for good measure- Rihanna attempts to avoid being typecast and to re-invent herself as an edgier, somewhat angrier woman who is determined to say whatever it is she needs to say…..or is she? Let’s call it what it is folks- drama sells records. And thanks to the fact that both of these artists are now more infamous than famous, their personal drama now has its own soundtrack.

If the goal here was to prove Rihanna can sing something other than radio-friendly pop- that goal was definitely achieved. With above-average writing and production, plenty of guest appearances and an effort to step up her vocal game, Rihanna has managed to avoid the paparazzi long enough to make a decent album- possibly her best yet.

The true test of her staying power will be whether or not she’ll continue to shine after the media glare has faded and the only incentive for buying a Rihanna album is that it’s comprised of nothing but good music.