After Rated R was released in 2009, Rihanna began to recover from a rather rough patch in her own personal life, which has been well documented elsewhere and is rather close to the bone for some to read about. This album, released a year after her previous album, was intentionally designed to be more upbeat and Poppy as she recovered fairly quickly from that dark spot in her own life. The idea and concept of the album were good, and it rewarded Rihanna with many millions of sales and more fame, which she thoroughly deserved, this album being the eighth best-selling album of 2011. It seemed like Rihanna’s hard work was paying off. Critical reception for this album was mostly positive as well. The album was produced by: Alex da Kid; C. “Tricky” Stewart; Ester Dean; Mel & Mus; Polow da Don; The Runners; Sandy Vee; Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph; Soundz; Stargate and Willy Will. This album was released on 12 November 2010 on Def Jam Records. Let’s take a listen to this album and we shall hear what the fuss was about surrounding it back in 2010.

1. S&M begins with some awesome vocals, and driven electronic melodies and launches into a popular at the time tune that is never played today. It sounds absolutely joyously fantastic. Rihanna’s singing voice is extremely good throughout, and she is a great representation of the way that music was heading in the 2010s. In a way, she was ahead of the times. This is, of course, about the lustful desire to have sex with inflicted pain throughout (a bit weird for some, but then again, so is the world of sexual fetishes). All in all, Rihanna delivers a great song that sounds extremely catchy, interesting and simple yet sweetly melodic throughout. A really awesome and fantastic listen, this is designed to be played in strip clubs, brothels and similar locations where people love to express themselves sexually. A really cool listen and this sounds really supercharged and excellent throughout. Rihanna was a lady of the times, and this song is fantastic. Definitely worth hearing.

2. What’s My Name? has rapper Drake as a guest. It launches into another instantly recognisable and sweetly joyous tune to listen to. This sounds extremely lush and cool. Drake’s rapping appearance is very welcome here, and his voice is as smooth as butter. This album is a great representation of exactly the album sound and style that every single music label copied in the 2010s onwards. This does mean that it is great music, however, as imitation is often the best form of flattery. Rihanna’s gorgeous voice and sexually based lyrics have a wide appeal to many listeners across the world. A really catchy, memorable and fresh listening experience that still sounds excellent to this very day. This music sounds sweet, ladylike (without being overly feminist) and well-executed. This is Rihanna on a good day, and she sounds very spirited, passionate and euphoric in this song. Some people may find this tune a little repetitive, but quite honestly, it is not that way. Another fantastic song to hear. Rihanna has come of age here, and this music is fantastic. Great job.

3. Cheers (Drink To That) begins with some party chatter and talking about taking shots, quickly launching into a good song that sounds a lot like Alanis Morrissette. In any case, this is a good and rather girly anthem about drinking to full effect. For anyone in their early to mid-twenties, this is a good listening experience about drinking, partying and meeting men (provided that you are female and your sexual orientation is straight). In any case, this is a simple, sweet and cool tune that shows that, even on lesser tracks, Rihanna’s craft had improved quite a lot in the 12 months she spent making this album. All in all, a really cool and inspired tune that has power, effort and energy throughout. A nice tune, even if this isn’t obviously a single of sorts. This music is well textured and imagined. There is a lengthy outro, and the chorus is chanted in multiple ways. Worth a listen, and a very sweet and inspired tune to hear. A good listen that ends with beats and acoustic guitar.

4. Fading begins with piano and electronic sounds, alongside string sections. This sounds very symphonic. It launches into a moody and melancholy song about a failed relationship. This makes a sudden departure from the rest of the material on the album, and although it is very good, it would have been better to save this for another release. It’s good anyway, and Rihanna works her voice and music magic throughout. Unfortunately, this does sound quite like filler, which is rather disappointing to hear. All in all, a lovely tune anyway that sounds very emotional and deep. A good listen throughout that is about heartbreak and sorrow. This is good but just not great. Still, one can sit through this song. Could have been better, though. It fades out gently.

5. Only Girl (In The World) is a very famous Rihanna song. It begins with beats, simple textures and la-la-la’s from Rihanna. She sings about being in love and sacrifices involved in a relationship, with some subtle dirty lyrics. The chorus is absolutely amazing, and it will blow your mind, regardless of whether you have heard it the first time or the 1000th time. Some neat electronic textures, including beats, symphonic textures and other sweet ear candy are present here. This is a very sonically adventurous and great tune to listen to. Ideally, this is a song that is centred on female love/lust. Still, this is a great song to listen to, regardless of if you dig the lyrics or not. Rihanna had come of age, and her music shines brightly on this tune. This is very Poppy, but it has some interesting lyrics and a catchy melody to listen to. Nonetheless, this does sound really great. Another solid hit by Rihanna.

6. California King Bed begins with some sweet acoustic guitar playing, which is different. This quickly has Rihanna singing about romance and love throughout. This is a gentle and moody listen about some of the troubles that being in love can create, complete with Alternative Rock sounding guitars in the chorus. This sounds very moving, and it is a good example of music and musicianship that the producers made for Rihanna. In any case, a solidly good listening experience, and just a bit different to listen to. Nonetheless, a really cool tune to listen to, although probably not as good as some of the other songs on this album. The song progresses nicely throughout towards the end, and the song reaches a glorious climax throughout. The music here is very, very good, reminding one of No Doubt or Alanis Morrissette. A decent tune for what it is. The guitars throughout are different. Worth hearing.

7. Man Down is a wacky-sounding tune from the start, with electronics and cut-up police siren sounds. This quickly launches into quite an angry-sounding song about accidentally killing a lover. This isn’t easy listening, and it doesn’t fit the album at all well. Murder isn’t something exactly to be celebrated or listened to in a female Pop Music context. This tune will leave some scratching their heads about the addition of this to the album. Indeed, Rihanna’s collaborators would have been better off creating a tune that would have suited her character and persona on the album better. In any case, this is okay but quite clearly filler. You can skip ahead if you want to, it’s not entirely necessary to hear. Rihanna sings in a more natural Barbados-styled accent here, which adds a spicy flavour to it all. Even so, this is a good tune but definitely not an instant classic. Different, although lacking.

8. Raining Men features Nicki Minaj. It begins with some handclaps and pitch-shifted vocals, quickly launching into an R&B-styled tune. This is a good listen with some interesting and nicely crafted sonic-based sounds, and it sounds surreal and wacky throughout. Again, this sounds quite clearly like filler, but this is quite more enjoyable than the track that came before it. It is a short and sharp, but sweet tune that is continuing the themes of sexual lust. Nicki Minaj’s guest appearance does fit this tune very well, although the rapping is a little pretentious sounding. Regardless, this is okay but much like many 21st-century Pop Music albums, this isn’t what audiences out there who are interested in decent albums would like to hear. All the same, it is sonically interesting. It’s okay but drags on a little too long for its own good. Rihanna and Nicki Minaj both have done better than this before.

9. Complicated begins with some interesting electronic sounds and enters into a song about deep and distressing emotions at hand. A really good vocal by Rihanna is here, even if the song is a bit of an emotional drag. In any case, this is a good song once again, but it lacks innovation and consistency at this part of the album. Although this music has potential, the moody melancholy and overt Pop Music structures hold it back from being truly great. Rihanna does have a magnificent voice, however, and she hits the notes perfectly, be it with some autotune or not. All in all, an okay song but again, this comes across as filler for a hit album. In any case, Rihanna’s voice is memorable and emotional in her music. This song is a digital ballad but nothing overly special to listen to. Skip ahead if you wish, this is a bit difficult to get through. There is potential here, but only with Rihanna’s voice at hand. The song itself isn’t good.

10. Skin begins with some dark and bass-heavy melodic lines. Soon enough, Rihanna sings about more dark and distraught emotions in relation to sexual activity. In any case, this is a weird music-listening experience that sounds like an awkward fusion of lyrics and songcraft. Rihanna really deserves better than this sort of approach musically. This is quite difficult to get through and sounds like almost everything that Pop Music has done over the last 10-15 years. A good tune to listen to, provided that you are a straight female who likes it rough. A good listen, but quite frankly, very lacking. The music here isn’t top-notch, and although it may appeal to some out there who are nymphomaniacs, aside from that, this is worth a miss. Also, it is rather long as a piece of music designed for the mainstream, being five minutes long. It is too simple and unappealing to be truly appreciated. Some guitars and robotic vocals are present towards the end, being a rather awkward match for each other. It continues with the guitar soloing for a while, before wrapping up.

11. Love The Way You Lie (Part II) is another hit single that features Eminem. The sad thing is that Eminem had well and truly sold out by this point in time, being the opposite of what he originally was. It has Rihanna singing sweetly over piano and this is a very sad and ugly (in terms of emotion) sounding song. Yes, Rihanna’s voice is very beautiful and tragic, but it is a breakup anthem. The chorus sounds absolutely gorgeous and is a real tearjerker. This is a brilliant song, despite the fact that there is a lot going on here in the lyrics. If you have broken up with a long-term partner, this is the song to match that mood. A tragic and soul-destroying song upon listening, Rihanna launches into the singing with ease. A great song to listen to regardless, and something that is very touching. It is a fantastic listen. This is one of the best songs on this album, and it sounds very intense. Eminem raps here, and he puts in an aggressive perspective from the male side on this song. Eminem’s voice has seen better days, and it is a bit questionable why he is here on this song in the first place. The chorus returns for a gorgeous finale. A great and extremely sad Pop Music masterpiece. Definitely worth a listen.

From the outset, this is a postmodern Pop Music album. Therefore, for the most part, some tracks are noticeably better than other tracks. However, despite that, Rihanna shows some awesome vocal skills and a good variety of songs throughout the album itself. The flaw is consistency here, and although she has every right to be recognised as a star, some of these tracks just fail. Still, it is something that you can listen to from time to time. Should you listen to this album? If you love girl power without feminism, go for it. Fans of non-Pop Music genres will wish to avoid this, however.

A good album that needs some serious quality control editing done to perfect it.

6/10