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Rihanna's Rated R - Source: ONE News
You may need your Umbrella after all; Rihanna is all grown up and raining expletives on her new album Rated R.
She told media she needed to vent to get rid of her anger and she certainly gets some out early in her fourth album.
On the first track Wait Your Turn (the wait is over) she tells us "I'm such a f**king lady" and right after that, while she's proclaiming (I'm So) Hard, she says "the hottest b*tch in heels is right here!" before throwing around enough mutha-effs to get an explicit content warning sticker.
Swearing aside, on a first listen it's not quite as catchy and dance-friendly as her huge third album which spawned big hits like Umbrella, Don't Stop The Music, Rehab and Disturbia, but the sultry Russian Roulette is already dominating the airwaves/downloads and Rude Boy and Te Amo will be right behind it.
It's clear she wants this album to move her into a heavier, rockier arena; she repeatedly claims "I'm a rock star" (Rockstar 101) but it's a bit plaintive and needs an injection of Pink-style energy to really make it go off.
Rihanna has moved even further away from her Caribbean-infused sound of breakout hit Pon De Replay and while there is no question she is much more polished act nowadays, she also sounds more like several other pop/hip-hop/dance songstresses out there, particularly Beyonce, as she warbles through tracks like The Last Song.
There is the inevitable but slightly unexciting ode to ex-boyfriend Chris Brown - Stupid In Love. It's her verbal chance to hit back at Brown after his infamous physical assault on her and the lyrics "don't talk to me like I'm stupid. I still love you but I just can't do this" are likely to be adopted by women everywhere as an anthem.
She has some high-profile help with will.i.am (Photographers), Jeezy (Hard) and Justin Timberlake lyrically credited on Cold Case Love and has a bigger writing and producing role herself throughout this new album.
The Good Girl went Bad last album; this time she is trying to push it even darker, but it's not entirely convincing and she doesn't seem entirely convinced herself.
However - as the woman herself tells us - that "Rihanna rain just won't let up" and expect Rihanna-heavy radio play throughout this summer.
Bonus - check out the album notes for a bonus for guys (and anyone else interested in semi-nude Rihanna) with a series of risque photographs.
