CD Review: Rihanna
Christina CaldwellIssue date: 12/3/09 Section: Music
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Rated R
(Def Jam)
Grade: B+
On February 8, R&B superstars Chris Brown and Rihanna were on their way to the Grammy Awards. Later that night, it was announced that Rihanna's performance at the show was canceled. It was later revealed that on the way there, Brown lost his temper and physically assaulted the 21-year-old Barbadian singer. After recuperating, Rihanna attempted a relationship with Brown again, much to the dismay of the public.
But she gave up on trying to repair their broken relationship. Before the incident, the singer was known for her tough-but-beautiful image. On her new album, Rated R, Rihanna turns that image into reality while toughening up and not backing down. She doesn't ignore the elephant in the room. In fact, the beating is the album's focus.
You can hear the different stages the singer went through to cope with love lost and shattered through its lyrics. "Stupid in Love" is the anthem of redemption for the singer, recounting her attempted reconnection with Brown. "My new nickname is 'You Idiot'/That's what my friends are calling me when they see me yelling into my phone," she admits.
Still, the topic at hand doesn't take over the album. Rihanna is still pumping out huge pop hits. While none are the same scale as Good Girl Gone Bad's "Umbrella," the sassy "Rude Boy" and the synth-goth-pop "Photographs" featuring Will.i.am keep the beat going without cowering. The sound is noticeably more mature without being depressing.
Rated R is straight up pop, but Rihanna stays true to herself through more than just thoughtful introspection. The entire disc is riddled with Caribbean beats, a nod to her home island. It's an unintentionally feminist album. It's not force-feeding girl power. It's just one girl's story with a lesson most can learn from.
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