Image via Complex Original
At this point Rihanna is pretty much the biggest pop star on the planet, so when she drops an album it's a really big deal. No surprise, then, that her seventh album is launching with maximum fanfare. She performed two new songs this weekend on Saturday Night Live. Today she will board a chartered Boeing 777 with representatives of her management company, Roc Nation, her record label, Island Def Jam, and her fan club, the Rihanna Navy, as well as a select group of media (including Complex's own Soo-Young Kim) to fly around the world and rip stages in 7 cities over 7 days. Welcome to Rihanna's life.
Last Friday at the 40/40 Club in Manhattan we finally (after checking our cell phones and recording devices at the door, and donating to the Hurricane Sandy relief effort) got a chance to listen to the music itself. We did our best not to be swayed by the $18 glasses of wine (get that money, Jay!) or by all the fly ladies and industry poobahs in the building, or by the image of Rihanna smoking blunts filled with diamonds on a jumbo screen—not even by Rihanna herself when she strolled in the club near the end of the session—but our three word review of this album (if we wrote three-word reviews) would be: "Believe the hype."
Unapologetic sounds like Rihanna's best album yet. Also her most uninhibited, which is saying a whole lot.
Note that we said "best" and not merely "biggest." As successful as her previous releases have been, this one will likely be even more mega. It's stacked with A-list writers and producers—including features from Eminem, Future, and Chris Brown—and it taps into the pop music zeitgeist via every conceivable format and subgenre without feeling forced or contrived. Yep, Unapologetic is going to be a monster.
But it's also better: more cohesive, more listenable from top to bottom than any of her previous efforts. Like many pop superstars, Rihanna has always been more of a singles artist than someone who created fully conceived albums. But Unapologetic is something else. The name of the game is making the audience believe you believe the words you're singing. But the fact is that these songs sound rawer and more personal than anything she's done in the past.
If you want to find out more about the music that will be pumping out of every radio, stereo, nightclub, and mobile device for the next year or so, keep on reading this track-by-track breakdown.
Written by Rob Kenner (@boomshots)
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"Fresh Out the Runway"
The album starts out hard with this hip-hop flavored track. "I see ya boy," Rihanna says off the top. "I bet ya wanna know how i get down." The drums are banging and Rihanna's like "walk up in this bitch like I own it." So far, so good.
"Diamonds"
The first single off the album was written by Sia and produced by Benny Blanco. Maybe it's just promo talk but right after the song's video premiered, Rihanna said that this midtempo, slightly melancholy tune has replaced "Umbrella" as her personal favorite. Not to read too much into the lyrics, but when someone says "I choose to be happy," chances are they're not."
"Numb" f/ Eminem
This track is built around a woozy dubbed-out groove and a vocal hook thats so repetitive it's almost hypnotic. "I'm going numb," Rihanna says over and over before making way for Em, who steps in to spit rapidfire bars. It sounds simple but it works. Get ready for another smash from the duo.
"Pour It Up"
One of the catchier songs on the record, this one sounds like a strip club anthem in the making. As Soo-Young pointed out during the 40/40 Club listening, it's the same tempo as Juicy J's "Bands A Make Her Dance" but with more melody and hooks about pouring it up in the club with money on your mind.
"Loveeeeeee Song" f/ Future
Another album highlight, "Loveeeeee Song" finds Future in romantic mode. "I don't wanna give you the wrong impression," he says on the hook. "I need love and affection." Meanwhile Rihanna is all about making the most of right now—a theme that runs through the whole Unapologetic album. "Don't slip," she sings. "Don't really wanna lost this moment."
"Jump"
Imagine Rihanna channeling Ginuwine over an explosive dubstep beat. Crazy, right? It starts out pretty straightforward. "Tell me that you love me/When you know you don't love me/But I guess it's all right." Then a manic dubstep break ensues and she goes into Pony-riding mode. "Ride my pony/Let's do it... my saddle's ready/Jump on it." Madness.
"Right Now" f/ David Guetta
Mr. Guetta specializes in dancefloor killers, and you know he saved something special for Rihanna. The song is all about the here and now. "Tomorrow's way too far away/We can't get back yesterday..." When all you've got is right now, you might as well dance like your life depends on it. And this song would be a fitting soundtrack. "Something you wanted to do all your life/There's no more waiting tonight is the night."
"What Now"
I shouldn't be crying," Rihanna sings on this power ballad, which finds her pondering the imponderable challenges of life. "I just can't figure it out. I guess i'll just wait it out." This song is stadium status.
"Stay" f/ Mikky Ekko
Rihanna turns in some of her strongest vocals to date on this song, which features nothing but piano and her voice. It was co-written by Justin Parker, who has written for Lana Del Rey, and Mikky Ekko, who gets a feature credit on the song so he presumably sang backing vocals. Rihanna performed "Stay" on Saturday Night Live this weekend, demonstrating how much she has grown as a vocalist."
"Nobodies Business" f/ Chris Brown
When the DJ at the 40/40 Club introduced this song the cool industry crowd started cheering. It's definitely the most talked-out track on the album so far, and it's also a hot tune. Over a four-on-the-floor dancebeat, Chris and Rihanna pledge their undying devotion to each other ("Always be my boy/Always be your girl") and then tell the world to mind their own business (See title). Sure it might be a mixed message, but it keeps us coming back for more. A word about the title: much has been said about the apparent mis-spelling. But what if it's not a typo? No. Bodies. Business. Just a thought.
"Love Without Tragedy" / "Mother Mary"
A tear-jerking suite of torch songs set to chord changes reminiscent of "Message In A Bottle" by The Police. "You took the best years of my life," Rihanna sings before asking, "What's love without tragedy?" More to the point, what a pop star's career without tragedy? The drama kicks up a notch in part two as Rihanna moves past living in the moment and declares "I'm preparing to die in the moment."
"Get It Over With"
As the title suggests, this ballad is all about embracing the inevitable. "I'm wondering wondering why it keep thundering," she sings. "Want to just f-ck-ng rage and get it over with."
"No Love Allowed"
From "Pon Di Replay" and "Rude Boy" to "Man Down," Rihanna always likes to rep her island roots with each album, and Unapologetic is no exception. This reggae-flavored tune was produced by No I.D. and written by Elijah Blake, the man behind Usher's "Climax." It's all about a love that comes on stronger than a gunshot. "Like a bullet your love hit me through the core," she sings.
"Lost in Paradise"
Rihanna takes a walk on the wild side over an electro groove. "It may be wrong but it feels so right," she sings like she knows what she's talking about.
"Half of Me"
The album's bonus track is so strong you might as well preorder that deluxe edition right now. The lyrics are so raw they sound like they could have been ripped from the pages of her diary: "I'm the life of the party/Beautiful people surround me/Everybody's falling in love/Everybody knows that I'm crazy." She may be "the type that don't give a fuck," as she puts it, but everybody's entertainment is her life—and as she points out, we don't know the half. This rebuttal to gossips and haters should touch the hard of even the most jaded blogger.
