after a long long time away, so long that i totally don't recognise the new blogger format, i've decided to post this raw, not even averagely written review. it's really the first draft, which i felt too lazy to do major edit.
It's only her 8th year in the music industry and she has 7 studio albums out. But the most surprising thing is that there is no greatest hits album. How could a corporate so bent on manufacturing pop stars not have milked the public with a dozen compilation albums? Apart from that, let me tell of an interesting fact: In 2005, Def Jam signed Rihanna for a 7 album deal (What the hell were they thinking?). So you know what that means - A minute possiblity that she'll not be releasing an album again at the same time next year! Without further ado, let's commence on the last album of her contract.
1. Phresh Out The Runway
This isn't particularly phresh, very typical. Not a very good attempt at being exotic if that was what she was trying to do.
3.5/5
2. Diamonds
This song is very bland for a Rihanna lead single. It's not bad, but not the best either, and I'm sure her vast producers could come up with something insanely catchier than this.
4/5
3. Numb
She's going numb, I'm going bored. It's not all that bad, but this indian influenced song doesn't add life to the album, though I could imagine Rihanna as a snake in a basket being charmed by the song. Eminem sounds particularly lame rapping on this track.
3.5/5
4. Power It Up
Is there a reason why she's making 'Unapologetic' such a dull event? Up till now, she seems quite intent on making a more hip hop sequel to 'Rated R'. But the good thing is, the songs come and go quite quickly, and I ain't even thinking: "so fast?"
3/5
5. Loveeeeeee Song
By now, I'm trying to figure out what trauma has caused her to make such a dull album. Listening to this song, I think I've found the answer. And the answer is Drake. Future singing on this song totally has the Drake feel to it. Her collaboration with Drake must have had something to do with this. The discography totally agrees with me, it's the most recent single she's been featured on.
3.5/5
6. Jump
Things are starting to pick up. This song's actually pretty cool for Rihanna standards. The dubstep is instilling slight interest in me for the album, even though I know she totally can't resist making 'You Da One' And 'What's My Name' soundalikes.
4/5
7. Right Now
Like finally, the David Guetta tune is here to stir up some life. I've never been particularly fond of David Guetta after his first album, but the uninteresting songs on the album makes his contribution almost seem valuable. I'm certain as hell she'll release this as a single, because like the typical post-Rated R Rihanna template says, no singles release for each album is complete without a eurodance track and a 'What's My Name'.
4.5/5
8. What Now
Unlike what I would say about most Rihanna songs, this is actually quite up-there artistically. She presents her vulnerability unlike what she has ever done on Rated R.
5/5
9. Stay
In this song, she's opting for a nice piano ballad, which sounds very comforting. The second chorus features a Mikky Ekko, which quite shocked me when I heard it, because I thought Mikky Ekko was a she. Both of them blend together nicely on what's probably one of the best duet she has ever done.
5/5
10. Nobody's Business
More than half way through the album, my perception of the album has taken a twist. The middle portion of the album is sounding good, and this song is no exception. Not shying away from Chris Brown, the product is a groovy tune, with a little Michael Jackson feel to it.
4.5/5
11. Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary
I'm not very sure if this is 2 separate songs, or intentionally made to sound like 2 separate songs, but it just made me think about the choice of 'Diamonds' as the lead single, when there's plenty of better choices to choose from. This song sounds pure, yet still has some drive from Rihanna's 'revvy' voice. How long hasn't Rihanna made such a stripped album?
4.5/5
12. Get It Over With
By now, the dreamy lost in love theme is starting to get a little overused, to the extent that the song title quite aptly describes how I feel it should be now. It's not bad though, just getting draggy because of the similar feel of the previous songs.
4/5
13. No Love Allowed
Nothing interesting about this song, it's typical Rihanna again after previously being possessed by the ghost of the Rated R. The tune makes the song sounds stupid, and Rihanna trying to sing it seriously makes it worse.
3/5
14. Lost In Paradise
I'm not sure why, but I'm feeling a Justin Bieber's 'As Long As You Love Me' vibe when I hear this song, especially when the chorus kicks in.
3.5/5
Overall, in this album, she's either being possessed or tipsy in the midst of recording to have come up with this incoherent piece of work that I can't say is bad because the middle was actually pretty good. Without any doubt, it will be commercially successful enough to let Rihanna jack up her worth when discussing her next music contract, hopefully not one of spam and overkill.
Rihanna - Unapologetic:
56/14 = 4.00
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