Words by Ken Francis
Pic via http://www.rihannanow.com/index.htm
Following both the media frenzy of her last LP, Good Girl Gone Bad that skyrocketed Rihanna into bona-fide superstardom and a picture of her face released by TMZ that revealed the damage inflicted by then boyfriend Chris Brown, Rihanna emerges with Rated R. A record consisting of songs that evoke boldness, strength and also vulnerability in its tracks.
The album begins aptly with an intro track called 'Mad House,' meant to introduce the listener into a world of the tough-skinned, edgy and risque Rihanna that performs the 13 track set.
'Wait Your Turn' is a nice start to the full length songs, it is full of boastful and catchy lyrics that has Rihanna stating her place in the game i.e. her consistent position on top of the charts. A claim that she can rightly make, being the only artist in this decade with the most number one hits.
This track is followed directly by 'Hard' featuring the always gritty but funny and entertaining Young Jeezy. This track is a winner because it has hints of old school reggae in the way Rihanna chants the "yea, yea, yea," at it's very beginning and Rihanna asserts her confidence throughout and ability to consistently outshine her peers with her lyrics. Also, it's fun to hear Jeezy say, "I'm in the all white party wearing all black, with my new black watch, called the heart attack."
The track list continues in a similar fashion and the lyrical content holds a similar bravado to a rap album. Rihanna makes it work for her however, she has the ability to carry tracks across several styles of pop, pop/reggae and even can even sing a ballad if she so chooses.
The more vulnerable side of Rated R, are the slower songs that focus (of course) on love and heartbreak. However, because the album teeters around a dark and dangerous theme, the content is sometimes more heavy than your average pop song.
The haunting 'Russian Roulette' penned by the illustrious NeYo is as beautiful as it is mysterious and a bit goose-bump inducing. Rihanna performs the hell out of the song, and though this is an album review, the video is a great accompaniment to it, Alias esque theme and all.
Another NeYo penned track 'Cold Case Love' was actually written a couple days prior to the day of the incident between her and Chris Brown, and as she said in her itunes pre-album release clip, it was almost like a premonition of the events of the night after the Grammy party. In addition to being all that, it is also a great song, with a lot of vivid imagery.
Moreover, Rated R is a great album that deserves multiple listens. It is interesting that in these songs Rihanna exudes both an acceptance of appearing weak in the past but screams proclamations of always being a strong individual inside. Whether or not strength is synonymous with being a little crazy is another question.
Don't forget these other great tracks: 'Stupid in Love,' 'Rockstar 101,' 'Fire Bomb," and 'The Last Song'
