Rihanna - Rated R

I'm really feeling this album. I love how dark and hard it goes.

i can tell by now thats Rihanna is one of the few RNB Female Singers that keeps her flow up, deferent and unique, its an amazing album if u take ur time and enjoy listening to it,

Russian Roulette was one of the songs that i didn't like coz i didn't take my time to break it down, now its one of the songs that i must play when am doing a gig, coz girls loves it and guys are ok as long as the GIRLS are OK :)

great job Rihanna, Keep up the good work

I'm baaaaaack! :P... But Anywho, I'll make it quick this time cause I wanna play New Super Mario Bros. Wii! XD

Well... Saying that Rihanna is one of my favorite pop singers, I went out and supported her music this morning and picked up my fresh copy of Rated R and everything seems ONLY AT PAR LEVEL on this record, stuff COULD HAVE BEEN better, I feel this isn't Rihanna at full potential! This album contains zero classic melodies such as "Umbrella" or "Take A Bow" and fails at originality in some areas of the album such as records like "Hard" and "Stupid In Love". Overall this album is good, but nowhere near classic and WILL BE AN ALBUM THAT'LL GROW OLD QUICK! And you can quote me on that (I have a good ear for music!!!)! I'll give it a wicked 3.5!
=)

My Pick's
1. Cold Case Love
2. Photographs feat. Will.I.Am
3. Te Amo

I was really excited for this album after hearing Cold Case Love but none of the other tracks live up to that one. Photographs is enjoyable but I did not really like any of the other songs very much at all. Cold Case Love is amazing though, everyone should get that song!

I personally love this album, It seems more Urban-friendly than her last album, but yet its not necessarily as good as GGGB. However, compare the two loosely, as they are two very different works of art. Rated R is hard, blunt, and at some points explicit (Parental Advisory). My picks would be Rockstar 101, Rude Boy, Photographs, Hard and Wait Your Turn. After hearing the finished prodect, I truthfully don't think there is anything I would have excluded from the album, its just right.

@Lil Majer, yeah that New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a killer!XD

All this album really made me want to do is listen to better rock music, Nah, but it could surely be worse. It's good enough that it stands fine by itself, and will forever, but you also can't help but think she can do even better.

It seems like an album that wants to be heavy or even a bit dark, but at the same time strives to find light in the night sky with "Photographs" and "Te Amo". And that might sound interesting, but sadly the songs don't. "Rated R" will likely be a fine, brief shelf life listen for a lot of people, and maybe they'll even mine a true keeper or two for their mixes in the future, but the album just left me cold.

What does stick out, though, is that even something as risky and, well, high-brow as "Russian Roulette" stands head and shoulders above the rest of these songs in terms of pure emotion conveyed by the words and the mood.

The sound of or, the production is about as solid as it can get. Yet, if there's one thing that could detract from the authenticity, it's that they maybe try too hard to get the dark "Rock" edge point across, at times falling in generic trappings and sounds of the genre. But, that's a very small complaint. "Rockstar 101" is predictable and good, both of those words getting equal weight here.

It also comes off as a rushed attempt to deliver new Rihanna material to the masses, this is evidenced by the lack of standout production as well as lack of interest by "big brothers" in constructing memorable songs.

While it’s always welcoming to hear any artist attempt to branch out and shed their skin, it doesn’t always work. It's an interesting new direction and sound for Rihanna BUT one I'm not entirely interested to listen to.

My Top Picks:

1. Russian Roulette
2. Cold Case Love
3. Hard
4. Stupid In Love

i only have 2 spin worthy songs rude boy and hard and no matter how much i like those two songs from such a star i would expect a great album. i think it is extremely average and in a day with so many other releases to wiz khalifa shakira lady gaga jay sean birdman amd susan boyle hahaha im not saying all these albums are better but rihanna could definitely do better

Lets be honest. This album won't be as popular as her last. Most of these songs the radio won't even think about touching. But I agree with Nathan 100%. This album was crucial in her career. She needed to do this.
I didn't like this album as much as "Good Girl Gone Bad" but it is still up there. I'm giving it a 3.5. "G4L" is my favorite song. Not for the message but for The-Dream "Esque" sound it has. Overall a very dark album.

i actually got a hold of this album a couple of weeks ago...and i must say...it is a NICE album but honestly i've only listend to it a couple of times aposed to other albums i'd have on repeat fa weeks...but still...i feel like Rihanna's definately growin as an artist and woman as well...and actually i love tha song "Russian Roulette"...not only because it has a dark eerie feelin to it...but bcuz its different...and 'different' is tha new 'thing' u kno?...but id have to say...this album...is a banger!...~

I can only judge this album on its merits and that alone without the fanfare, the events of the past and the media-driven assisted sympathy. And on that basis this album is meagre. At most times, an uneven and inconsistent album that is overhyped dribble masquerading as feelings, quite predictable at times. Too many detachments, vocal inconsistencies, mixed signals and fantasy material make this far from cohesive compelling listening. She had ample opportunity to really create something brilliant (doubt) and new but once again you cannot save mediocrity.

Rated R is such a terrible cringing concept; the Rated R double entendre inherent in the album feels forced and contrived, from the imagery on the cover and in the book to the profanity, violence and drug-taking – a G rating is more appropriate given the juvenile childish puns and antics inherent in the lyrics, usually delivered with seemingly unawareness – “i built the love but i don’t feel this way”, “your song was beautiful thats why i started singng it”. “im such a @*#$! lady”, “baby, baby, take it, take it, love me, love me”, “tonight i gonna give it to you harder, relax let me do it how i wanna”, “i see you aiming at my pedestal”, “rihanna rain – yeah yeah yeah”, “reload, reload, reload” – what may come across as dark is mild and safe in comparison and at times hilarious.

If we are talking about maturity and maturing as an artist, this isn’t it. With the rise of the likes of Gaga and other pop whores in toe, rihanna is increasingly made out to be the fraud that she is. Robotic and militant production and inconsistent vocals raises too many suspicions. Take for example, Rude boy; a track that sounds too much like Beyonce could easily fit onto Sascha Fierce or Wait Your Turn, a lady-gaga rip-off which doesn’t quite have the immediacy and catchy melodies of her rival and the pointless Mad House intro which tries so hard to capture the magic of MJ’s Thriller fails miserably. The metaphors and symbolism and double entendres in G4L were agonizing to listen to and which kinda defeats its own purpose. Rihanna sounds like some little girl who likes nice dresses and putting on make-up trying to act all hard – self-referentialism at its worst.

In saying this, there is only one track that is worthy listening to in this misfit - "fire bomb" a brilliant pop femme fatale, reminiscent of something Kelly Clarkson would sing - but i am beginning to imagine that it’s the song itself and the songwriting itself which is the standout rather than rihanna singing the song. she is quite pedestrian on the track as are her adlibs and strained vocals and is rather secondary to the song – had this been in the hands of Kelly Clarkson or some other more impressive vocalist, this would have been far more mind-blowing.

The concept that “all men are stupid” lacks any credibility on the face of this album nor does female empowerment. Rihanna does not come across as a complex character rather just naive, silly and revengeful. This girl needs serious help pronto. In saying this, Susan Boyle’s cover of Madonna’s “You’ll See” would perhaps have been more fitting given the attempts at self-referentialism.

This is a good album for sure. Not better than her last one, but it's up there. I really like the fact she's no longer suppressing her West Indian background and there are some tracks you can hear her Barbados accent in the song instead of when she's only talking.

@ viciuzurban:

You're doing yourself a disservice by judging the album in a vacuum.

Music, and art, are extensions of the artist. Expressions that come from THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCES. And many, many artists have put together their best work after something drastic and terrible has happened to them. To view art or listen to music, w/out even considering the events that shaped that expression, really is an insult to the artist, and it denies you the opportunity to feel the emotions and really understand what that expression is about.

This album gives plenty of examples where listening in a vacuum leads to absurd impressions. Take Stupid In Love. If some regular female singer made this song, without being beat up and going back to that person, yeah, most people would say it's pretty lame. But Rihanna experienced that. Her line "my new nickname is 'you idiot'" think about that. In a normal situation, NOBODY calls their friends that unless it's just playful banter. So sure, it sounds dumb. But it REALLY HAPPENED. These aren't just random lyrics to fill a song. It was her LIFE.

Seriously, ask yourself some questions. When you look at the Taj Mahal, do you see a king building a monument to his most beloved and favorite wife, or just a building with lots of domes and towers? When you look at the Great Wall of China, do you see a country trying to defend itself from the terror of northern invaders, or just a bunch of bricks going up and down mountains? When you look at the Lincoln Memorial, do you see a monument built to someone who freed millions of oppressed people and saved a country from division, or do you see a monument to some dead dude and vanity?

An even better question: have you ever gone through something traumatic in your life? If so, did you just keep it bottled in? Did you write about it? Play music? Did you express your emotions? If you haven't been through anything traumatic (which is all relative so it seems impossible not to these days) maybe you just wouldn't understand. But if you have, then I bet you'd want people to consider what you've gone through before they judge your work.


I do agree with you though that Rihanna doesn't have much of a singing voice. And I would agree with you that Rihanna acting hard and gangster seem silly, but at the same time, she went through a TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE. Those experiences shape people in different ways, but usually with anger.

I think as an album, it's above average, but when it's good, I think it has some of Rihanna's best work. I do miss the smiling, happy Rihanna who doesn't want the music to stop and is living in a fantasy. That's gone. She hasn't really "grown up," but just changed based on her experience with Chris Brown.

Cold Case Love is brilliant. Not just musically, but the content. This song really feels like it came from the heart. Stupid In Love is another track where you really feel for Rihanna, regardless of whether you thought she was somewhat culpable. It doesn't break any new ground musically, but the content is there. We all saw the pictures, read the news. We feel connected to Rihanna. We relate by extension.

When not dwelling on the past, she still hits. Rude Boy is a great track and lyrically she says pretty much what girls are thinking. Te Amo is also a great song with the rhythms.

Other tracks warm up after a few spins, like Hard, Rockstar 101, and even more, G4L. I honestly don't care one way or the other about women's empowerment, but based on the public nature of the beatings, you can't really knock it.

My 2nd favorite song is Photographs. Honestly, it's just a typical beat by will.i.am, again not breaking any new ground. But it's infectious, and before you know it you're bobbing your head in enjoyment. And again, you feel Rihanna in the lyrics. Truly great song.

This album lacks a true #1 I think, something like Please Don't Stop The Music, that's just club ready and fun. But at the same time, this isn't a darker album just to be darker. I think it came from the heart, most of it. And I think these songs touch on issues that matter to a lot of people. Again, Stupid In Love. If you've ever personally known someone who's been in an abusive relationship but refuses to leave. It's easy to call them stupid. This is a great answer to the critics, myself included.

4 stars.

@ donjonjon

Nathan made mention in his review, that had the events of the past not have happened, the album would not have been slightly different in any respects, at least that was what my interpretation was, agree or disagree. I agree on that point because what we are talking about here is a person’s credibility – was the album already sealed and manufactured pre-Grammies event or was it concocted and tweaked post-Grammies to tie into the fanfare, the media trial and the media-driven assisted sympathy? I have had heated debates on the issue of the past events, issues of the abuse, culpability and the notion that both were at fault and feel that I have to isolate those events from a review of this album because none of us can say with certainty what went down that night to be able to vindicate every thought or action that Rihanna does post-Grammies. It is therefore an academic exercise to speculate only. This is not engaging in political spin and or conspiracy.

If I recall she has released at least 4-5 albums thus far, propped up mainly as a singles artist, and I have yet to find out who is the real Rihanna, the person or the artist, which is a term I use loosely, who is surrounded by the best and brightest songwriters, producers and the marketing juggernaut that is Def Jam. So, who is the true Rihanna? The one who suppresses who she really is and her accent? Or the marketing powerhouse? And do you buy that? You see this is where it gets tricky. I don’t. How much of the relevance is attached to what happened that night and how much of it shapes who Rihanna is and will continue to be? I can easily dismiss the contention that music and art are extensions of the artist because I don’t consider her to be a true artist. Appearances can be deceiving. But If I attempt to deconstruct this album from top to bottom, it is neither a complex exercise or one of great understanding to be had.

Sure, many artists do make great albums post-traumatic incidents, but I am sceptical about this with Rated R. But where they differ with Rated R is that many of those artists reflect on those events with amazing resilience, foresight and lyrical prowress – they have a profound view on the situation and see it through new lenses rather than old clichéd ones. Many reviewers have drawn the correlation between Rated R and classic abuse and redemption albums such as Hear My Dear and the Velvet Rope to justify their cause. Or even Tina for that matter. But I wonder how can you do that and on what basis? Due to the nature of the world that we live in and the media-driven obsession with celebrities lives and the public desire to know and appease their ego’s, was it really necessary for Rihanna to spill the beans on the what occurred in the past? Now I am discarding semantics here about timeframes and when and at what time was it necessary to do so in accordance with promotion responsibilities. Personally, I don’t. You see this is where I differ – why not put all your energy into an album and vindicate those feelings? Why not have the foresight to delay your album into the new year and rework it to accommodate those newly entrenched feelings and alienation? If music is a true extension of an artist, why isn’t this the case with respect to Rated R? I don’t feel those feelings confidently enough listening to the album on replay to say yes Rihanna is a genius and I really feel for her because how much of that is manufactured, great PR and media-driven? You can have the best money and the best marketing machine going around behind you but if you cannot move people with your music it ain’t saying much. She is far too detached from the music for me to find credibility in the material. And this is where those suspicions about her artistry lie.

It has too much to do with politics.

If I cannot look at this album objectively and without the media-assisted sympathy, I would not have been generous enough to warrant this a one-star album. This is after all about the music and that is the quality I am most in tuned with – I don’t jump to emotive conclusions or make absurd claims without any basis or reason. However, if I am willing to drag the events of the past into this debate, then I find that the whole charade is even more absurd, take in point I am not talking about the abuse, rather I am talking about the circus that this has all turned into. When you have someone who candidly says “F love” and parades about numerous events like nothing has happened, I don’t necessarily feel any sympathy for you. To say F love is a total joke and a mark of a person’s character. Love gets a bad enough wrap as it is and too many people use it as a scapegoat to cover their stupid actions – why admit defeat when you can counter with exagerrrations? Love is not what was wrong with the picture – it was the two people that were caught up in that – neither had the foresight or maturity to handle the situation. Don’t use love’s name in vain to cover up your stupidity – love is not on trial here.

I would have been far more impressed if R wrote Stupid in Love, not Ne-yo or Brandy who brought the song into a new dimension, if you haven’t checked out either versions do so please. I don’t necessarily believe R when it is an exact carbon copy of the demo albeit one friend’s name change – that doesn’t validate the credibility or extension of music as an artistry – it is simply grave-robbing to meet an ends that appears to do otherwise. If you are going to take a song from another person or songwriter, at least, please inject something new into it. R has been accused of this in her past – it is like she is coached to sing in this way and in a certain manner. She is largely propped up by songwriters and I don’t buy that she has grown either as an artist. This is my problem, so much of what appears to be great about this album is really the people behind the music, the songwriters and the producers, not R herself. These tracks could have been sung by anybody and anybody and I mean any already existing or upcoming female. I mentioned before that the market was increasingly becoming crowded with the likes of Gaga and other artists, what measures will R make to make sure she separates herself from the pack? Personally I never found her to be groundbreaking so I won’t speculate on future strategies.

One must tread carefully when buying into fabricated artistry.

Take for example your reference to the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China- which are open to many historical interpretations, warranted or not, and of course shrouded in deceptions. Sure, yes according to legends and hoaxes, the Taj Mahal is most commonly referred to and readily accepted by the masses, mostly ignorant and as seen and heard in movies and media reports on terrorism, as an ode to his late wife but is romanticism and propaganda by the Shah Jehan just the only account on which to base the Taj Mahal? Or do you also take into consideration its Islamic relevance? Or was it a temple that was converted into a mausoleum?

Or the Great Wall? Did it really serve it purpose of protecting outsiders or was it a means of containing its insiders so as to ensure the racial and cultural purity and integrity of its people? Why then were enemies so readily able to penetrate it on numerous occasions, take over the cities and mount new dynasties? Or were the insiders really obligatory to that conspiracy? Or are they merely tourist attractions intended to monopolise the consumist culture we all inhabit?

You see, history is open to all interpretations as is this album, good or bad. But be aware of the exploits, deceptions and heightened appearances. The test will be when all the smoke clears and settles, will people share the same views on this album in 5-10 years time.

i heard they're bringing down the price of her album to 99 cents, lol, that's how badddd it's selling.

one day you're on top of the world, and the next day...

i am not a rihanna fan but I am a fan of entertaining music.. that being said I agree with the review at first I had to roll my eyes at her new “hard” image but no one wants gggb part 2 and to be taken seriously as a adult entertainer she had to go in this direct to not put herself in a box, also coming off of a bad break up I understand the anger in her voice. What I don’t understand is the unnecessary cursing, sometimes it works like with hard-“…aint like me that @*#$! to phony..” or wait ur turn-“..im such a @*#$! ladyyyy” but most times its not needed like the disaster that is G4L-“ ..nigga we don’t play that shit..” really rihanna?! Horrible song but not the worst that title goes to..rockstar 101. but there are a handful of surprisingly good songs thanks to the writers and producers which makes the album enjoyable. No denying rite now she is the “it” girl but can she turn that into long lasting success in the music biz?? Depends on who you ask… No rihanna doesn’t write her own songs but neither does beyonce, Mariah carey, or whitney Houston. No rihanna does not have the best voice but neither does Madonna, Britney spears or even cher who are all pop icons. but I cant help notice that urban fans hold there icons to a higher standard just look at beyonce, anetta baker,tina turner, mary j. blige, Aretha franklin, whitney Houston … all of which have great voices. Urban fans admire great voices while pop fans admire entertainment “a great show” neither of which rihanna is very good at. My biggest problem with her is her stage shows they are very boring and not entertaining at all. the other day I watched her perform my favorite song “hard” live and disappointed is an understatement it was just blah. with a song like hard I expected her to come “hard” but what I got was the usual skip around stage, rockstar hand signals, rockstar hair flip, gangsta 2-step.She doesn’t have a chance at being a urban icon but if she wants a chance at being a pop icon she needs to drastically improve her stage shows. As far as the present Im giving this album 3 1/2 stars I really enjoyed most of the songs and you can hear improvement in her voice. Congrats to rihanna!!! Listen to these….
1.hard
2.stupid in love
3.russian roulette
4.te amo
5.rude boy
6.cold case love
7. wait ur turn………(skip the rest)

Just need to say that I'm loving the debate on this album. Rihanna's got people talking, you have to give her that.

In an overall view, the album was okay. It wasn't very creative and it had a few songs here and there that made me want to further my listen to it. It was kind of bland in a way and it was never in a million years her best album yet. My quick and easy rating is 3 stars because the flare just wasn't there.

Fav Songs
-Photographs
-Rude Boy
-Cold Case Love

I completely agree with the Eminem/Rihanna comparisons, this is something Rihanna needed to do and I'm glad she's an artist who does her own thing and doesn't feel obliged to make something that would definately be a chart success (Crack a bottle+ We made you- Eminem).

But, I see some people criticising this album?!?! Are you crazy!
Sorry to bring the Chris Brown/Rihanna links again, but I've just listened to Chris Browns album whilst doing some history revision and nothing on that album made me look up and see what song that was apart from the first song which was I Can Transform You and then Crawl which was at number 3 on the tracklist or something like that.

Then, that finished and I turned Rated R on; nearly every song made me look up and pay attention. That's what makes this album good for me, the same thing happened with The Blueprint 3. They aren't classic albums, but they are GOOD and i would happily listen to this again and again, there's something about it which stirs some emotions if you can associate with the relationship undertones which run through the album.

Overall, I know there's nothing that will go down as being a classic, but we gave Eminem the benefit of the doubt with his last album, lets give Rihanna the same...

I don't really like this, but "Hard" and "Wait your turn" went hard. I think chris brown just god fed up with rihanna's mental insaneness and decided to punch her.

Rihanna's got another hit on her hands. I love her and really love the album. I think last time since Rihanna was just transforming from the good girl to the bad one, she kept the music very "poppy" to still appeal to the fans that loved her then. This time around, Rihanna IS that bad girl and she's able to say stuff like "I'm such a f****n lady". I think she's really coming into her own and she should be relevant for many years.

I love the music on the CD, but like Good Girl Gone Bad it's like half the album she tries to do the teen pop thing, but on the other half her sound is more urban, which I guess is an attempt to have crossover appeal.

***Favorite Songs (other than the ones she released)***
1)Rude Boy
2)G4L
3)Cold Case Love
4)Te Amo

Overall, I love Rihanna and she's definitely one of my favorite artists

cold case love is the best song on the album!..not my fav album from rihanna...waiting for the chris brown album.

Its really good. People like to make the comment about how her album should flop, but I think it did the complete opposite.

Feeling this album a lot more then the last commercial one. Rihanna has mature a lot on this album.

damn is all i can say this album went crazy in my headphones like it had me thinking bout it all day when i first heard it. has to be a top 10 album of the year and proly her best yet.

This album was ok. Could have been better. Russian Roulette is great song and her voice sounds good but that shouldnt have been a lead single off a kind of comeback album. Standouts for me r the infectious reggae esque Rude Boy and the wonderful Justin Timberlake penned Cold Case Love..last but not least very lyrical and detailed G4L (Gangsta 4 LIFE).

i am inlove with this chick, after disturbia i thought she had lost focus but this is a great bang. Come here rude boy boy

girl bye u knw chris brown didnt punch you in dha face u just tryd teww mess uhp his life

Awsome album! keep doin wat u do best Rihanna! :)

This album is hotter, and more edgy than her previous albums.