Unapologetic is the 7th CD in the discography of POP SUPERSTAR Rihanna. Coming hot on the heels of Talk That Talk, Rihanna is back with a new album where she and her producers have done a pretty amazing job in blending all of the different genres she covers into one cohesive album. Aside from a few missteps here and there, I feel as though theyve collectively done an amazing job in achieving their goal. Unapologetic blends R&B, Pop, Dance-POP, a bit of EDM, and ballads all onto one album where everything feels welcome and is complimented so well by Rihannas voice.
Unapologetic contains production from some of the biggest hitmakers of today, and those same people on this album are responsible for her older hits as well. Stargate (Whats my name, Only Girl, S&M, Dont stop the music, Take a bow, and Rude Boy) comes back to lend production on #1 single Diamonds, Jump, and Lost in paradise. The-Dream who previously penned smash hit Umbrella comes back to produce Phresh off the runway, Nobodys Business and Love without Tragedy/Mother Mary. Benny Blanco lends production on lead single Diamonds, which was written by Sia. Clearly we can see that Rihanna has gathered a team of industry heavyweights to work on this album and it shows. There are so many songs that could be released here and do well, and its an album without a lot of filler.
Rihanna also features many artists both known and less known on the album, and in all cases, they compliment the song they are featured on pretty well. She teams with Eminem on Numb, another song with the two of them after mega-hit Love the Way you Lie landed on Eminems latest effort. She also teams with newcomer Future, Mikky Ekko, David Guetta, an uncredited Kanye verse on Jump (which is actually a feature of sorts since it samples Ginuwines 90s hit Pony which is made more Rihanna by an EDM break after the chorus), and finally a feature with ex (or current)-lover Chris Brown on the aptly titled Nobodys business
As we can see from above, the production, writing, and features on the song are stacked so heavily in her favor that its impossible to believe that this album could be nothing short of amazing right? Well, youd be right. It isnt amazing. Its an exceptionally well done album, but there are a few missteps.
Lets start with the good stuff though:
Diamonds is amazing. The writing by Sia and Stargate and Benny Blancos production compliment each other so well, and Rihannas voice works with it so well. As a matter of fact, her vocal performance on the whole album is definitely her best yet, and shows an immense amount of growth which is apparent if you watch her recent live renditions of this song. Another standout song to me is Jump. Upon first listen, the song felt wrong because of the EDM breakdown after Rih samples Ginuwines Pony chorus, but after a few listens, it works. I definitely like it because Im a fan of the original, but Im also a fan of this spiritual successor. Nobodys business is another song that I like because of how different it sounds. The production is such a throwback to older songs that its able to sort of take you back in time while listening to it. Michael Jackson is (lightly, from what I can tell) sampled on this song, and while the subject matter may put people off with Rihanna and Chris singing I wanna be your baby, youll always be my baby, if you dont focus on what has actually happened between them, its a very well done song by two singers whose voices work well together. Other standouts on the album are Stay, Love without Tragedy, and What now. Theyre all very well done ballads from Rih which is surprising given how lackluster some of her ballads have been as of late.
Onto the not so good:
Phresh off the Runway is a fun song, but is mired by the fact that you cant understand what shes saying for a good portion of the song. The beat is so great, but its stuck with a song that goes nowhere and has no identity. Another stumble on the album is Mother Mary. Its attached like a Siamese twin to Love Without Tragedy, but theyre two different songs. They may be alike, but there couldnt be more of a gulf of quality between them. Mother Mary is a long boring song which has none of the poignancy or meaning of Love Without Tragedy. It just really doesnt work for me with the album, and seems totally out of place. Other missteps are Pour it up and Get it over with. Two songs who have little to no meaning and again dont find their place on the album.
Unapologetic shows an immense growth in Rihanna as an artist and her level of comfort in the genres shes used before shows because she sounds her best in this comfortability. Its definitely one of her better albums especially after the rushed Talk That Talk era, but there are a few too many missteps to put this as her best yet. Still a worthy effort from her, and well worth the listen.
Song to use: Nobodys Business, Jump, Love Without Tragedy, Diamonds, What now
Songs to lose: Mother Mary, Phresh off the Runway, and Get it over with
The rest of the songs are inoffensive enough to play and enjoy.
A special Honorable Mention goes out to Half of Me which details that what we see of Rih in the news is only part of who she is. Its a well done song that is penned by Adele and produced, again, by Stargate. It is definitely usable, and worth the listen.