30/11/09
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Time to go Dark and Moody
Barbados’ most famous export steals a Queens of the Stone Age album title.
Rihanna is famous for many things, though mostly her singing until her rather
public break-up with fellow RnB groover, Chris Brown. Doing the whole ‘battered woman’ shows was nothing if a welcome leg-up for her career, so expect particularly
sympathetic reviews.
Opener, ‘Mad House’ is a ‘Thriller’-style interlude into the hard-hitting, dirty rock of
‘Wait Your Turn’. This has got an element of Pink and some of Britney’s edgier stuff with the disregard for linguistic etiquette, particularly. It
tries a bit too hard to be punk, which is always going to be hard for a
mainstream pop singer to accomplish.
Young Jeezy pops up on ‘Hard’ and you’ll notice the wannabe-gangster feel immediately. Jeezy is one of the more husky
rappers, so fits the bill; the tune, the lyrics and the believability of the
song, certainly do not though.
Finally we come to the battered ballad of ‘Stupid in Love’. The eagle-eyed amongst you will spot that Robyn Fenty is not listed on the
writing credits, so take this with a commercial pinch of salt (or the whole tube).
‘Rockstar 101’, a certain single, features the electric stylings of former Guns N’ Roses guitar legend-turned mainstream “rocker”, Slash. It’s a bit like Oasis’s ‘Rock N Roll Star’ but with swearing. As it is, this is about the most believable rock Rihanna.
Opening single, ‘Russian Roulette’ hits the spot too and actually allows the girl to sing, god forbid.
Cheesy rock ballad time for the very simplistically-formed ‘Firebomb’. Featuring basic lyrics, generic production (including a hugely uncatchy guitar riff), it just does nothing for her as an artist or this album. In contrast, the cheeky ‘Rudeboy’ combines a traditional calypso beat with some fast Rihanna vocals. It just has a
sense of charm about it that just feels more authentic.
Serial collaborator, Will.i.am pops up on ‘Photographs’ for his usual smooth and sassy vocals. This one has a likeable beat and Rihanna’s voice sounds particularly sweet too. It’s ok, but nothing worth salivating for. Stargate returns to the decks for, ‘G4L’ and this is more of Rihanna desperately trying to find a place for herself. I
think Stargate’s dreamy beat just about saves this one, but it was certainly close.
‘Te Amo’ is power-packed with electro synth and Ri’s on the reggae-style vocals now. Whilst this does work, I just don’t see anything remotely special about it. Justin Timberlake’s one and only contribution comes from co-penning ‘Cold Case Love’. It’s kind of ballady in its structure, though the organ at the back indicates
almost like a death has occurred – again though, particularly unspectacular.
Key Tracks:
‘Russian Roulette’
‘G4L’
‘Rockstar 101’
‘Rudeboy’
Worst Tracks:
‘Hard’
‘Mad House’
‘Firebomb’
It’s nice to see Rihanna move away from her pop routes and this journey was really
started with predecessor, ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’. However, this record is by no means close to the calibre of that. The
experimentation is good but there’s just no over-bearing reason why you should buy this, so don’t. 5/10 CM
Verdict
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He’s Still Got His “Eyes on You”
Hounslow’s finest R and B export releases his third record.
Jay Sean won’t be familiar to many music fans and was certainly thought of as something of a
one-hit-wonder after his debut record, ‘Me Against Myself’ had him styled as a trendy Asian crooner. Still its remarkable what a bit of
perseverance and belief can do for someone and Jay’s new incarnation on his own label has seen him win new fans, far beyond the UK.
Opener, ‘Do You’ is a bit of a non-starter really. For all its atmospheric goodness, there’s too much clichéd smooth grooving going on and it just never catches on.
More impressive though is second effort, ‘Fire’. Packing more of an electric punch, there’s some very Ne-Yo-like sounds emanating from this strong tune.
First single ‘Down’ features the multi-talents of Lil Wayne, alongside Sean’s smooth delivery and the gradually progressive beat. It’s no wonder Jay has caught the American music industry’s ear with his radio-friendly style. The second batch of guest appearances on ‘Do You Remember’ brings Lil John and Sean Paul to the party and it’s probably the Jamaican superstar who saves this tune from obscurity in a
stellar cameo.
Like the proverbial dog with a bone, Sean will just not give up and ‘Ride It’ is in many ways the epitome of all his hard work. The track is clear, he sounds
like a star and this one is delivered with quality. Just as impressive is ‘Love like This (Eternity)’ with its impressive backing beat and rhythm that pushes Sean to new levels and
as an artist, he sounds entirely comfortable with his work.
There’s nothing particularly wrong with ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ either and Sean’s voice is particularly impressive here as he crosses over into a very
mainstream genre of bling-groove, effortlessly done. ‘War’, however, is as much of a mistake as it gets and is an unexpected lowlight.
Still the excellent ‘Cry’ restores order with a strings-led backing, laced in-between Jay’s strong and silky deliverance. This is truly a man who knows his target marked
inside-out.
The title-track is surprisingly disappointing considering what has come before
it. Whilst there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with it, it just doesn’t measure up to what is a very high standard set. The final guest appearance is from Jared Cotter on ‘Stuck in the Middle’ and the subtle beat in many ways makes this track, though the guest puts in a
good shift too.
‘Stay’ is slightly forgettable as well as ‘Lights Off’ and you do get the feeling that the record could have done with being one or
two tracks shorter. There’s also a trademark stripped-down, Candlelight remix of ‘Down’ which doesn’t really elevate the track much I’m afraid.
Key Tracks:
‘Fire’
‘Ride It’
‘Love like This (Eternity)’
‘If I Ain’t Got You’
‘Cry’
‘Do You Remember’
‘Down’
‘Stuck in the Middle’
Worst Tracks:
‘War’
Verdict
In essence, this is a very strong showing from Sean and he has certainly proved
that he can mix it with the big boys of R and B. The very fact there are two
album versions for fans both side of the Atlantic are a measure of the man’s commitment and you can’t help but be impressed by this. 9/10 CM
(c) ChrisOnline.biz 2009
