I have finally been converted to a Rihanna fan

Posted at November 28, 2010 by Julie J Comments Off

Rihanna’s latest album Loud is a really solid pop album that would be the perfect soundtrack to a Girls’ Night Out. Rihanna made a great commercial, mainstream album that appeals to the masses, and I am not mad at that! I am actually really surprised that I like it as much as I do, and I suspect I will grow to like it even more. The feel of the album is more upbeat than her last one, yet still manages to include some darker lyrics within the songs that I dance to. And I’m going to be real here, one of the main reasons I bought the album is that I think she is really cool, and would be fun to party with. That and the song “Raining Men,” but more on that later.

While she has some upbeat songs, she also has some ballads, and they work to complement each other well. In fact, perhaps in a nod to her European fans, some of the tracks seem to have this trance-y feel, like “Only Girl in the World,” that remind me of the Roman nightclubs that I loved. But at the same time, those upbeat tracks are not overbearing, and they shouldn’t be with producers like StarGate, The Runners, Polow da Don, and Tricky Stewart, among others lending their beats to her.

I guess I will go through some of the highlights of the album. Despite the fact that Drake is in it, and looks homely as hell in the video (maybe if he had shaved and wasn’t dressed like a slob he would look better), I do like the song “What’s My Name.” Then, the Bob Marley-influenced “Man Down” is really legit, and is an instance where she broaches a darker subject underneath the happy sounding instrumentals. And I’m probably the only girl in the world, but I like “Love the Way You Lie” (Pt II) more than the original. I mean, I understand the appeal of Eminem laying down a track, but I think she honestly could have carried this track on her own.

And finally, my favorite track is “Raining Men,” featuring Nicki Minaj. That song is a banger, and I think/hope that it will be the “Rude Boy” of the album, where it never gets old in the clubs. I will just say that Rihanna drew the winning straw on this one, because this track is way better than their collaboration on Nicki’s new album Pink Friday.