Some may perceive Rated R as Rihanna’s “anti-Chris Brown” album, but the LP is about so much more than that.
Sure, there are songs on the singer’s latest album that take some not-so-subtle shots at her former beau, but after a breakup as public as the one the couple went through, that much is to be expected. Rated R is, at its core, an exhibit of Rihanna’s maturation — mentally and musically. Yes, some of that maturity may come by way of her experiences with Brown, but listeners should not let that idea completely overshadow the album. Rihanna certainly doesn’t.
It’s important to know that the album, overall, is nothing like what Rihanna has released in the past: While Rated R is still a pop record, it’s not much of a club-banging record. There’s no real “Umbrella” on the album, and listeners are going to have to work to make the majority of the songs dance-floor ready.
But that’s all right. This record isn’t supposed to be another Good Girl Gone Bad — its purpose is actually quite the opposite. By making this record darker, angrier and completely distinctive, Rihanna is only adding depth to her still young but very accomplished career.
The closest Rated R comes to previous Rihanna material is the third track, “Hard.” It’s upbeat, and like many songs on the album, it’s heavy on the use of keyboard. This track’s production is completely dance-worthy and its hook is catchy. Young Jeezy also contributes a pretty good verse to the song. While it’s far from his most impressive appearance ever, it’s a nice complement.
Although the beat of “Hard” may sound familiar, the lyrics here — and on the rest of the album — are a huge change of pace.
Rihanna and her songwriters have projected a new version of the singer on Rated R: She’s boastful, personal, vulgar and openly sexual.
A terrific example of all of those lyrical qualities is “Rockstar 101,” on which Rihanna embraces her public persona to the extreme. Featuring lines such as “Rocking this skirt, rocking this club/ Got my middle finger up, I don’t really give a f–––” and “So baby take me in, I’ll disobey the law/ Make sure you frisk me good/ Check my panties and my bra,” the track clearly shows the music industry has produced a whole new kind of Rihanna album — and the pop star hasn’t lost any of her power.
One of the best songs on the album is “Rude Boy.” Making it another of the LP’s few true dance-pop songs, the beat is reminiscent of a sped-up “Love In This Club,” by Usher and is heavy on the synthesizers. “Rude Boy” is a head-bobber the whole way through, but again, the song goes a long way in earning the album a parental advisory sticker with lyrics such as “I like the way you touch me there/ I like the way you pull my hair/ Babe, if I don’t feel it I ain’t faking.”
And yes, there are the songs that bring Brown to mind. There aren’t too many that seem to be blatantly about him, but there’s also a handful, such as “Fire Bomb” or “Cold Case Love” that can be perceived to be about him. But the strongest of the bunch may also be the most aggressive, the “Unfaithful”-esque “Stupid In Love.”
The emphasis is clearly on the (rightfully) bitter lyrics. The chorus anchors the idea behind the track when Rihanna belts, “This is stupid/ I’m not stupid/ Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid/ I still love you but I just can’t do this/ I may be dumb but I’m not stupid.” And for those looking for some even stronger Brown-bashing, she gives us the gem: “That’s what my friends are calling me/… They’re telling me let go, he is not the one/ I thought I saw your potential/ I guess that’s what made me dumb.”
Again, these songs aren’t the same old Rihanna. All of the aforementioned songs, save for “Rude Boy,” are either mid-tempo or just straight-up slow. Although the slower pace usually works nicely with the darker lyrical content, some songs tend to drag. The six-minute, Justin Timberlake-penned “Cold Case Love” is a great example of this, as the first half becomes repetitive until it picks up a bit around the four-minute mark — but even then it’s too little too late.
Unfortunately, “Photographs” also falls under the category of a track with unfulfilled potential. The song begins as a guitar-picking, bitter-about-Brown ballad and quickly becomes a nice duet between Rihanna and Will.i.am. There’s a minimal and steady beat that sounds pretty good. The best part is that Will.i.am’s production doesn’t even initially ruin the song with his inexplicable use of Auto-Tune. That is, until almost three minutes into the song, where it basically turns into an Auto-Tune Black Eyed Peas song and everything goes to hell.
But a few drudging moments aside, Rated R is a lot of fun. There are a few instances of dance-pop bliss, but for the most part the album is meant to show off Rihanna’s exceptional vocal talent, as well as to create a whole new persona for the singer.
She’s angry, she’s going to sing about sex and she’s going to drop a few f-bombs, but she’s growing up. Because her songs have been played on the radio for about the past four years, it’s easy to forget that Rihanna is only 21 and is still coming of age.
And if Rated R is an indicator as to how she’ll continue to mature as an artist, buckle in for the long run, because she’s about to run this town for quite some time.
klucas@umdbk.com
RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
