Rihanna- Unapologetic Album Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album- Unaplogetic

Artist- Rihanna

Since she arrived on the scene all the way back in 2005 Rihanna has become one of the biggest superstars that the whole world seems to know, and it is probably safe to say that like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston before her, she is one of main prominent and powerful music acts of today’s generation. With this seventh studio album released in almost as many years, Rihanna has continued her domination of the music world. But with each album coming in such quick succession, does her music really match her superstar nature, or does she just produce albums so quickly because she knows they will sell.

Track 1- Phresh Out the Runway

The opening track is a stomping hip hop and rave number that means the album opens with a bang and presents the listener with the feisty, in your face, I am the best Rihanna. Lyrically the track talks about this boy seeing Rihanna and how Rihanna knows he wants to come closer and just have her because she is so good. Most of the lyrics are actually just very frenzied and conjure up images of money and power, but although the fast paced energy has a cool urban energy, the tracks hook isn’t as strong as it could be. Vocally Rihanna plays it well within this track where she really brings her urban and rock chick persona to the fore and makes for an aggressively sounding record, although the layering in the chorus is a little annoying. The beats of this track however are definitely what makes it a decent listen, with David Guetta  providing a heavy bass and distorted synthesisers that create a chaotic and dense array of muscular beats that might just make you feel like a pop star.

3.5/5

Track 2- Diamonds

The albums lead single is a mid tempo ballad with a prominent pop, electronic and soul sound. The track is different in terms of being chosen as the lead single in that it is a more slowed down state of Rihanna and finds her being more emotionally deep rather than party banging let’s get going mode that proceeds many of her records. Co-written by girl of the moment Sia, this track is lyrically all about an embracement of love and how Rihanna and her man have such a great relationship it sparkles to the point where they are like diamonds in the sky. It’s a nice change of pace for the singer and when sung with her smooth vocal tone and powerful dramatic attack the song feels light and positive and really stands out, with hook being extremely powerful. The production also gives a sense of burning energy that mirrors the vocals and also mildly builds in sound, but also never runs the risk of being too overpowering or too party time mode, with the synths and orchestral rhythms just making the floating, sparkling essence of the song all the more believable. It might not grab you on first listen but after a few more times you’ll be singing along with her.

4.5/5

Track 3- Numb (featuring Eminem)

The third track on the record is the third collaboration between Rihanna and Eminem after the separate versions of their worldwide smash “Love The Way You Lie”. And in this track is controversial in that lyrically it plays as a homage to getting high. However if you don’t really take the lyrics to seriously then you can enjoy the track, with the hook being cool and catchy. The vocals are a little grating in terms of the layering, and although this works in the chorus and in terms of the overall message of the track is makes for a little bit of an uncomfortable listen. The heavy beats and Egyptian flute riffs of the production are interesting and make for a child but powerful listen, although in places the sound overall is a little overpowering. And Eminem’s feature is alright but doesn’t neccasrily add any value to the track and can easily be forgotten.

3/5

Track 4- Pour It Up

This cool and sexy kind of vibe of a track features the most prominent example of Rihanna putting her swag on to great effect and reminding us why she is such an interesting pop phenomenon. Lyrically the track is simple but cool in terms of how Rihanna turns a strip club anthem into a song about independence where she declares how cool  and rich she is and how she is just going to party. The vocals are simple but have a rich deepness and give a sensual edge to the track, whilst the production features hypnotic club beats with a subtle but potent hip hop edge and powerful handclapping.

3.5/5

Track 5- Loveeeeeee Song (featuring Future)

A nice slow jam that features some cool synth beats and has an overall relaxed atmosphere, this song is sweet ode to that need for love and affection and makes for a cool sensual bedroom kind of track. The song features Futures rap/singing style computerized vocals nestled nicely against Rihanna’s smooth and sensual tones that make for a magical pairing. And when set against laidback, melodic beats that have a real sensual vibe, this track is a nice affair dealing with the essence of love.

3.5/5

Track 6- Jump

The sixth track is a strong dubstep number that lyrically interlopes the 1996 track “Pony” by Ginuwine. The track lyrically speaks of Rihanna telling this guy of how she won’t be chasing him anymore, and it’s a strong message that is given gravitas by the singers smooth vocals which have been compared to Justin Timberlake’s vocals in his hit “Cry Me A River”, and do indeed have that kind of quality in terms of emotional vulnerability but innate strength. The song also vocally features a powerful rap from Kanye West that is aggressive and cool, although it is weirdly not credited. The tracks production features a kind of slow buring energy with a strong dubstep breakdown after the chorus that is powerful but also kind of leaves you wanting more. And that’s probably how I feel about the track as a whole, being one of those songs that you can really enjoy or one that you can just feel is missing something and isn’t powerful enough, with the chorus sample being perhaps a little crude and miss matched against the lyricism of the verses.

3/5

Track 7- Right Now (featuring David Guetta)

After the heavy dupstep of the previous track, this David Guetta collaboration finds Rihanna settling into her well known electronic and dance music world, although a dubstep kind of wobble could potentially be observed. The song’s lyrics speak of living for the moment because life will pass us by and the past has been and gone, so all we really have is the present. The message of the track may be something that’s quite stereotypical in today’s modern pop world, with songs like fun.’s “We Are Young” and Ke$ha’s “Die Young”, but nevertheless the chorus of this track is potent and has a nice sense of urgency as well as being really instantly memorable and catchy. The tracks vocals are really strong and dominating, with Rihanna making a kind of declaration from the beginning in singing the chorus that she is ready to party andshe believes in what she is singing. And although the electronic edge of the track is familiar Guetta territory, the chorus features a nice simple undertone in terms of the electronic beats, and the breakdowns after the chorus have a powerful frenetic energy that is intriguing and a little bit left field for Guetta in a small way.

4/5

Track 8- What Now

The party atmosphere of the previous track altogether disappears with this vulnerable ballad which feature an epic, bass driven chorus. In terms of the lyrics Rihanna speaks of this uncertainty she feels in this relationship and what is actually happening and how inside she is just wanting to scream out her frustration and questioning. Vocally she is really strong, with the light verses sung in a lower register really complimenting the punchy and vocally strong chorus with it’s high note questioning. And in terms of production the track is really good, featuring booming drum beats in the chorus, sombre piano and guitar instrumentation throughout and epic electric guitar riffs in the closing section that make for a really emotionally dramatic and impactful track.

4/5

Track 9- Stay (featuring Mikky Ekko)

With this track comes perhaps the most emotional song on the record, in which we find Rihanna in pop and RnB ballad mode. The track has a true lyrical depth to it, with Rihanna and Ekko talking of a failure to resist true love and always being consumed by this fiery temptation. Both artists are really strong here, with each going into higher reaches of their vocal registers to really bring a sense of passion and vulnerability to the track. And when the production is kept really simple with smooth and light piano and guitar chords, the lyrical and vocal impact of the song is all the more powerful. It may have been written by Ekko, but both artists bring a sense of truth to the song, with Rihanna perhaps showing an identifiable quality with the song because of her heavily publicised relationship with Chris Brown. It’s another song that at first listen you can easily label as bland but after a few more listens you will start to really like.

4/5

Track 10- Nobody’s Business (featuring Chris Brown)

The track that was highly anticipated and controversial due to the very public nature of the two artists relationship after the domestic abuse Grammy scandal of 2009, this song features Rihanna and Brown talking about how their relationship is really good and how their relationship isn’t anyone’s business but their own. Rihanna has spoken about how the track embodies what she believes in terms of the way her personal life is looked at. And when set against a four on the floor kick drum and light strings and piano it’s a fresh and airy statement that is still strong. Vocally both artists are really strong, and the male female vocal combination really makes the songs ideologies come out in a stronger way and acts as a nice kind of two fold conversation. Set aside all the personal life of these two artists and any feelings about that you might have and you can’t deny that this is a good and solid pop number.

3.5/5

Track 11- Love Without Tragedy/ Mother Mary

This two fold track is an electronica and New Wave number in which Rihanna starts off by singing about love and then goes into a more confessional mode where she sings of a moment of her life which she regrets. The first part of the track features an 80’s pop sound and is powerful vocally, with the hook being a simple but effective and potent statement that is set against a nice booming base heavy synths that are then removed to transition into the songs second half. The simple retro production is created to make a potent and confessional kind of down tempo number that features a vulnerable but uplifting vocal from Rihanna that is made stronger when the bass kicks in. This song both really annoys me and is also something I really like. Although it is cool to see Rihanna be a bit more emotionally deep in her work, the song is a dragged out affair that seems like it is desperately trying to paint her as a vulnerable, love sick woman rather than the party person the media portrays her as. And whilst the tracks do blend well together, I feel that they would have worked much better as separate tracks in their own right, with the first section being stronger for me and so creating a lacklustre affair in that you don’t end on the high note.

3/5

Track 12- Get It Over With

Another down tempo song that is a real chilled out affair, this track is all about just going with the flow and just in the end getting it over with. It might be a chilled out affair but by this point the balladry is a little annoying, and when set against the other down tempo moments, this track definitely stands out as the records weakest moments. The production is cool and nicely chilled with the strong strings, and the vocals are nice enough, but lyrically the track is very annoying, with a highly repetitive edge that just feels like Rihanna and her team aren’t even trying to make a good song. Should not have made the record.

1.5/5

Track 13- No Love Allowed

The penultimate song finds Rihanna showing off her roots with a prominent reggae vibe and a bubbly, dubbed out groove. Vocally it is a bit different in terms of the prominence of her accent within the track that gives a cool island vibe to the song, and the synth and clunky guitar melody of the song is cool and creates a simple groove that makes for another chilled out affair but is this time it is nicely sonically different. However the song’s lyrics are another example of where her music begins to fail, with chorus not being catchy and much of the verses just really having that kind of it will go over your head sort of quality.

2/5

Track 14- Lost In Paradise  

This mid tempo ballad with its frequent tempo drops is a cool electronic affair that makes for a strong end to the album. Here we find Rihanna talking in sombre but hopeful mood about this delusional love that has cause her hurt but that if she opens up her eyes she will be in paradise. The track is vocally rich with a booming chorus, and the synth laden production with the vocal smatterings of co-producer Labrinth are cool tempo drops that make for an almost euphoric kind of affair.

3.5/5

Final Review

I can totally see why people complain about Rihanna producing so many albums in such quick succession in that her records do feel rushed in sound and prolonged in terms of the amount of tracks. Yet I also can understand why she creates so much music in that today’s music audience is a powerful machine always hungry for more, and she just wants to satisfy her fan base. So this is a strong record that features some strong pop numbers and has some nice lyrical depth, although this depth does mean that the second half of the record is a little ballad heavy and so is annoying. And although it is a good record, she could perhaps be an even greater artist if she takes a little bit more time with her music and has a little self-control in certain respects.

6.5/10