Rihanna delivers a mature 7th album to occasionally mixed results.
Much of the appeal and success that Rihanna has lies within her ability to cater to both pop and urban audiences without causing a divide with either one. A lot of artists have problems being able to successfully please both yet to Rihanna its not as problematic.
That being said, Rihanna is the reigning queen of TOP 40 as recently stated by Billboard themselves. In her 7 years out in the game she has scored more TOP 40 hits than artists thta have been out for double or triple of that timeframe. So it comes as a surprise that Rihanna has released an album so scarce on obvious TOP 40 hits.
At the same time though, its not as surprising. Unapologetic is not only a left-field release but its also a
smart one. If the main #1 hits of 2012 (as well as burgeoning trends) are any indication of whats "in" and what's "next" then its clear Unapologetic was made to cater early to that.
For Unapologetic, Rihanna sheds most of her TOP 40 hitmaking for mostly R&B tracks, Adult Contemporary cuts and urban songs.
As a fan, I can safely say Rihanna has never known what a good album opener sounds like (excluding Rated R) and Unapologetic follows this tragic trend by opening with
"Phresh Out The Runway", a tryhard "urban" track by David Guetta. Both artists here sound equally ridiculous.
The next track, and what would've been a more fitting opener, is her latest smash hit
"Diamonds". The elegant track not only represents the album better as a whole but it also marks a swift change in tone sonically for Rihanna. While to many people "Diamonds" is just another Rihanna single that hits the top spot on the chart, for her and her team its reassurance that Rihanna can excel commercially in other types of songs beyond her usual type of releases. In my opinion, "Diamonds" and whatever singles follow from Unapologetic, will be career-defining for Rihanna in terms what she does next.
Whatever magic "Diamonds" is lost on
"Numb". This track is the reunion of Eminem and Rihanna after their "Love The Way You Lie" releases. But this song is completely different from those songs and beyond a brief reference to to them, it shares nothing at all. The instrumental is hot but both Rih's and Em's delivery are not. In fact both to me sound grating, especially over this incredible instrumental otherwise.
After "Numb" the urban and R&B tracks continue to flow, this time thanksfully they're much better.
"Pour It Up" is basically the female sequel to "Bandz a make her dance" (which also happens to be one of Rih's fave tracks this year) and
"Loveeeee Song" is a crooning duet between newly reinvented artist Future and Rih. This song is actually Unapologetic's most successful album track on itunes and would do well on urban and r&b formats (both ac and hot versions).
Rihanna's TOP 40 side briefly shows up on
"Jump" and
"Right Now". Both featuring the fading trend of featuring dusbtep/D'n'B breakdowns as choruses. "Jump" interpolates a hilarious (yet effective) Ginuwine's "Pony" sample. As a personal note, its hard for me to pin-point a particular format for Jump. It has urban elements and pop elements and yet its not clear what it is. For this reason alone I dont see it getting plays anywhere but on Urban radio stations in the UK.
Finally we reach the good parts of Unapologetic. Its in the second half of Unapologetic that it forms a clear identity of what it wants to be. Gone are the shoddy urban tracks and mediocre TOP 40 offerings and instead focuses on Adult Contemporary cuts that have never been Rihanna's best strenghts...until now.
"What Now" is a beautifully delivered song thats both sad and conflicted. Rihanna delivers a strangely alluring vocal (especially in the second batch of verses). Im not exactly sure why they added a random 80's glam rock outro in the end on an otherwise well done midtempo though.
After "What Now" comes one of Unapologetic's shinning moments:
"Stay". A simple haunting ballad that has one of Rih's best vocal deliveries. Stay is a song of longing that may seem like its for a lover but the more I listen to it the more Im convinced its about her departed grandmother Dolly, who I believe is the major influence in this album, despite the media's constant belief that Brown is the major inspiration on this record.
Speaking of Brown, who is featured on what's without a doubt THE jam of the album
"Nobody's Bussiness". The track is a plain fun Michael Jackson inspired jam (it also samples MJ) thats sure to be a likely the feel-good song of the summer (if released in that timeframe). The one main detractor of this track is Bruises himself, whose presence makes an otherwise fun, cool track rather uncomfortable on the first few listens.
My personal favorite album track is actually
"Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary". I like how this song legitimately sounds like a track released in the 80's rock track by The Police, who strangely are not credited despite similarities to "Message in a bottle". Is a lawsuit underway? :conniving:
"Get it over with" is Unapologetic's most mellow track. The problem is that after "Mother Mary" you kinda want something more upbeat and GIOW even slows down things even more. Nevertheless its a very unique track in Rihanna's discography and I think if you get high to it it could potentially be
amazing.
"No Love Allowed" plays into Rihanna's Bajan heritage and its always been her card of differentiation from other pop gurls. What's awesome about Rih is that she can work well in pop as well as this kind of sound without seeming forced or non-credible.
Closing the album is
"Lost In Paradise" which ends up on the weak side after you've been exposed to Unapologetic's best offerings in the second half. I would've prefered she closed with
"Half of it" which is a far more personal track that explains Rih's point of view of her life and how media plays into it. She's never done this type of tracks and I like how classy she did it. Its not a "oh poor me" kind of track, which is always welcomed from pop-stars.
Unapologetic has about as many wrongs as it has rights. The album is a crucial one in establishing Rihanna as a more "serious" artist to audiences and so far they have responded favorably to it. Im excited about this album's campaign to be honest.