Rihanna: Rated R

By Richard Ash

Releasing eight singles off of one album, an album that brings you colossal international success, isn’t easy. Suddenly emerging as the most famous face associated with domestic violence in 2009 isn’t easy either. Rihanna has had a tumultuous year, a year saturated with success and an scandal, all of which is addressed on her latest album.

Rated R, Rihanna’s fourth album in four years, shifts gears from light pop to intense violin and rock-driven anthems. Released on November 23, the album’s first single, “Russian Roulette,” had even my Nana talking. The concept, the arrangement, and the overall production of this unique gem let Riri’s audience know exactly how much she has grown to over the last ten months. It is also undeniably evident that the 20-year-old’s voice has matured tremendously.

Although the previously mentioned single is phenomenal, it is not necessary a representation of the rest of the disk. The promotional single, “Wait Your Turn,” epitomizes this maturity. It is an edgy guitar-tinged sample that has Rihanna throwing out commands in her Bajan accent, as if she runs everything. Well, she does – especially with the ingenious second single “Hard” that has been publicized as an “Umbrella 2.0.” The song does more for me personally than “Umbrella” did, and it is a thumping tune in which the princess boasts of her new found position at the top of the game.

There really is not one forgettable song. “Stupid in Love” follows a similar pattern that her ealier hit “Take a Bow” does, as they are both signature Ne-Yo-penned songs. Rihanna employs the legendary guitar player Slash on “Rockstar 101,” where her confidence shines at its highest point. “Fire Bomb” has enough pop flair to have worked for Beyonce or even Alicia Keys. “G4L” is the most gritty that I hope we will ever see Rihanna. “Photographs,” with will.i.am, sounds as if it comes from the recording sessions of a prior album. The drum line behind “Te Amo” is utterly addicting and compliments a catchy melody. Finally, a personal favorite is “Cold Case Love,” a Justin Timberlake production that easily mimics Timbaland. The breakdown at the five minute mark of the song should be enough to make anyone buy two copies of Rated R.

Rihanna varies her styles wonderfully over the course of the album. There are pop songs, ballads; island grooves, rock anthems, and even hip hop knockers. However, when piecing it together – it is exactly what we should expect from an icon that has endured what Rihanna has. Here she conquers the most embarrassing obstacle she will, hopefully, ever face – and she does it with a mature melding of heartbreak and confidence. She continues to be everything a role model needs to be, including a refusal to be just another victim of domestic violence.