Review: Rihanna- Rated R

Rihanna is grown up now. She wants you to know that. If Good Girl Gone Bad was her last album, than this is where girl will never be associated with Rihanna again.

Rated R is a remarkably cohesive album that is clearly Rihanna's best, but still shows that better might still be to come form the still young pop star. The first three songs are the roughest and most gangster. "Wait your Turn" and "Hard" is Rihanna bragging like a rapper over heavy bass. "Hard" may be the closest thing to "Umbrella" on Rated R with its "I, I, I, I'm so hard" chorus, the only thing similar to "Umbrella-ella-ella-eh-eh."After "Hard" Rihanna brings up Chris Brown quite obviously for the first time with a ballad titled "Stupid in Love."

There are six modern-day ballads, meaning slow songs, but still with beats, (most famously done by Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around/Comes Around" and Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love"). They all work, some better than other, "Cold Case Love" being the best overall, followed by "Russian Roulette." "Photographs" started off brilliant, orgasm for the ears came to mind, it thrilled me, until, sadly, Will.i.am. started rapping. That rap ruined the song for me after that. "Te Amo" surprised me in the fact that I wanted to compare it to "Alejandro" by Lady Gaga (both albums are being released the same day). What is most important about the ballads for Rihanna's new album is that they show off how strong her voice has gotten over the past years, this is her fourth album and Rihanna has never sounded better.

"Rude Boy,""Rockstar 101," and "Fire Bomb" are fill out the rest of the album, I'm ignoring "G4L" because it is the least exciting song in an otherwise good attempt at an amazing album. "Rude Boy" should be a single because it will be a number one for sure. It is a touch of the old Rihanna, being the funnest and sexist song on the album. "Rockstar 101" has great verses, but the "I'm a Rockstar" chorus seemed silly to me. "Fire Bomb" is an excellently written pop song that could be performed by anyone in the pop world, very radio friendly, maybe Kelly Clarkson even singing it. It's simple beautiful pop.

Rihanna has truly developed with this album and has created a more interesting and adult record. The same dark, mature atmosphere flows throughout the album. This album will be, hopefully remembered, as a step into the direction of a mature and pop-savey artist.

A-

Download these...

Rude Boy

Hard

Cold Case Love

Fire Bomb