Rating: 8/10

Track Amount: 13

Running Time: 52 minutes and 21 seconds

Genre: R&B/Pop

Personnel: Rihanna (vocals) plus other guests

Producer: Dernst Emile, Full Force, Vada Nobles, Poke and Tone, Evan Rogers, Stargate, Carl Sturken

Recording Location: Various studios in New York and Florida

Record Label: Def Jam Records

Art Direction: Andy West

Best Tracks: Pon De Replay

Quick Verdict: A surprisingly good and fresh R&B Rihanna debut album

This is where Rihanna got started in the music industry. Originating from Barbados, she was discovered there by the producer Evan Rogers, who managed to record some demo tapes with her and sent them out to record companies, in the hope that the young Rihanna would get noticed. Jay-Z, who was the CEO and President of Def Jam Records, heard her demo and signed her to his label. The result afterwards? This album. It charted well in many countries around the world, and although it received mixed reviews at the time, it was the stepping stone to bigger and better things for the young Rihanna. Notably, this release mixes together electronic sounds and R&B together into a multicultural melting pot of music. Without further hesitation, let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear what we have got.

1. Pon De Replay is the main hit from this album. It sounds great from the start, with beats and handclaps nicely playing along, and Rihanna’s voice singing sweetly, asking the DJ to turn the music up. A very solid and cool tune that, although it may be considered dated today, is an excellent and solid slice of R&B Pop Music. This showcases Rihanna’s natural singing voice, and this is not a million miles away from the likes of Destiny’s Child or other similar R&B artists from earlier in time. Nonetheless, a very good start to this album that is enjoyable, simple and danceable as well. Rihanna obviously was onto something at this point in time. This tune is very much in line with Rihanna’s Barbados background musically, but nonetheless, it sounds good and works on a Pop level. A good, catchy yet dumbed down Pop Music piece that revealed Rihanna to have a natural singing voice and talent at hand. Very good for what this is. It ends with the beats and textures playing away in the outro for some time. An excellent tune.

2. Here I Go Again features J-Status. It sounds like Dub Reggae, complete with subsonic basslines playing away and Reggae-inspired keyboards. Again, this is very good and surprisingly much better than expected. Rihanna’s efforts were often mixed. Having said that, this album so far is seriously excellent to listen to. The sounds and catchy vibe make for a seriously impressive listen, and Rihanna’s voice is crystal clear and classy to listen to. J-Status makes a very Caribbean contribution in his guest appearance. Nonetheless, this is another fantastic song that is better than you’d expect. Sure, this is not the sound of Rihanna’s hits, which came later on, but undeniably, this is genuinely good music to listen to. Feminine power without being sexist, Rihanna pours her heart and soul into this song. J-Status flows in and out of this song, and this is a good mixture of culture into a great-sounding song. Nonetheless, a fresh and inspired song that sounds like the sound of Barbados. A good tune from start to finish. Sweet.

3. If It’s Lovin’ That You Want begins with some interestingly processed vocals and launches into a very good R&B Pop Music tune with lush guitars and triumphant singing by Rihanna. She sounds really fine and passionate on this song, and sings to a metaphorical lover out there. This is, again, very underrated music, even if this album didn’t consist of the hits of later Rihanna works. Still, this is a lush and wonderful effort for kicking back at the end of the day and having a smoke to. The layers of sound and Barbados music themes overall do sound literally very great. An awesome and supercharged tune that is very tranquil and relaxed. So far, this album is fantastic and is a solidly strong debut album at hand. Another great and retro listen that works incredibly well. A fantastic three-minute-long song.

4. You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) features Vybz Kartel. It has some wonderful and banging beats to begin with, and launches into another Dub/Reggae Caribbean tune that sounds extremely interesting and wonderful to listen to. This does sound super awesome. Yes, this is not a necessarily revolutionary album, but its sonic construction, Barbadian sounds and excellent singing make for a fantastic listen. This is a chilled and tranquil-sounding tune that has an artistic consistency and excellent sound throughout. This may sound unappealing and bland to people expecting Pop Music hits, but this album and song certainly exude a character of their own. There is a breakdown in the midsection, followed by a rapped section by Vybz Kartel, at hand which is decent. Still, Rihanna does a really great job musically and with her singing voice. It shows that, from the start, Rihanna could genuinely sing well and naturally. Her voice is not drowned in autotune, nor does it sound out of place with this music. Very magical to listen to, and an awesome song at hand. A very sonically accomplished piece of music.

5. That La, La, La is a weaker track with a Rap-style R&B edge to it all. It sounds rather dated, although to be fair, this is not outright bad. Rihanna sings nicely on this song and has some vicious lyrics about a friend who wants to steal her lover on a big night out. Jealousy aside, this is a good listen, although maybe not a great listen in retrospect. All in all, this music and performance are really cool and interesting. On the latter point, it is definitely wonderful and interesting for R&B Music. In terms of consistency, this debut album is much better in terms of consistency overall than later releases, even if there are no hits present. The quality of album material is less stunning, but more listenable than some of her albums that had a few good tunes on them but weren’t overly listenable. Which is where it is at. Nonetheless, another good but unlikely great song to listen to. A bit repetitive, but not unpleasantly so. A good three minute long Pop Music piece.

6. The Last Time begins with Spanish acoustic guitars and Rihanna singing softly on this song. This leads into a song of heartbreak and sorrow. This is obviously lyrically about a breakup with some drastic music instrumentation changes. Rihanna sings gorgeously, as always, about a serious betrayal in the name of love. This is a luscious and retro-sounding R&B Pop tune with a Caribbean edge that sounds really awesome and classy. This longer tune definitely has its inspiration and moments throughout. A chilled and listenable song that has some extraordinary and pretty sounds about it all. This music is much better and more consistent than any listener would expect. Sure, there is less magic in terms of Pop chart hits on this album, but this is a much better and more consistent music template than some of Rihanna’s later output. An absolutely awesome and fine listen at hand, which draws a line about breaking love and trust in a relationship. The Spanish acoustic guitars, beats and string sections sound sweet. This song gradually wraps up with a bittersweet conclusion as Rihanna says bye to an ex-lover. Sad but essential listening for all Rihanna fans.

7. Willing To Wait begins with some interesting electronic sounds and textures, before launching into a lush and watery-sounding tune at hand. Rihanna sings once again, very well, about her need to take it slow and easy with a lover who wants everything all at once. Again, this is classic R&B music that certainly is impressive to listen to, even if this album wasn’t as big as it could have been commercially or critically. It has some genuinely loveable tunes such as this one on it, however. This is a sensible song that aims to serenade a lover at hand that Rihanna has in mind, although she advises him to take it slow and easy throughout. Rihanna’s voice is supremely fantastic, and to this day, very few can compete with her naturally gorgeous R&B melodic singing style that is instantly recognisable when heard in public. That takes genuine talent. All in all, this song, although lengthy, hits the heart very well. This is a form of music that spearheaded the upcoming trend of the female singer who is both popular and naturally gifted with her singing. This is much better than any of Justin Bieber’s efforts on any of his albums as well. Nice and lush tune to listen to.

8. Music Of The Sun begins with some crisp acoustic guitars and launches quickly into a gorgeous R&B tune that is based on Caribbean music at hand. Rihanna sings well and melodically on this song at hand. She sounds extraordinarily natural and passionate on this song, with little evidence of too much autotune. All in all, Rihanna shines bright on this song, which is an ode to dancing to music. Again, this is really fantastic music that doesn’t sound out of place or terrible at all. Rihanna moves and grooves the listener with a real Dub Reggae feel musically. All in all, she creates a magical and lovely listening experience that will particularly appeal to young women out there, although it is not feminist music. Rihanna sings sweetly and softly about the nature of music in general. A glorious and fantastic song that has a genuine and impressive magic to it all. A very consistent and awesome song at hand. Simply well done, Rihanna should be proud of this, although this is rarely looked at today in her music career.

9. Let Me sounds like a traditional music piece that is wacky in the intro, before it launches into a sweet and fantastic song that sounds nicely layered and excellent throughout. This music has some nice samples of horns, beats that are looped and some more melodic and fluid singing by Rihanna. To be fair, in retrospect, this album seriously deserves more attention than it currently gets. Rihanna sings and sounds great on this unusual R&B tune that has a marriage of sounds and styles that simply work very well. A seriously dope tune with some repetitive but certainly not skippable sounds about it. Sure, this is not the raunchy and provocative later statements or melodic Pop hits that she would eventually be known for. Having said that, this does sound really amazing throughout. This was a single from the album, which, although it didn’t do terribly well, sounds gritty, sexual and fantastic. A catchy and fun tune that deserves its place in music history. Nice job. Catchy from start to finish.

10. Rush features Kardinal Offishall. This is a weaker tune that has some quite frankly, ordinary sounds and rapping from a guest who can’t spell his own stage name. Regardless, this is okay but disappoints on an otherwise solidly consistent album at hand. If you really want to, skip ahead with no regrets. Even so, there has been worse music made on debut albums than this one. The music and lyrics flow well, but this is not a song to rave on about. Rihanna does paint a good love/sex picture on this album, and she delivers vocally when needed. This tune is barely okay, sadly, and lets down the album in the second half. If you need an excuse to avoid this song, do so. It is a disappointing listen from this monumental debut album. Avoid.

11. There’s A Thug In My Life features J-Status. It begins with some better instrumentation and beats, with a genuine Caribbean feel to it all. Rihanna sings very, very nicely on this song. She details her romantic adventures throughout her life, and she sounds absolutely magical and fantastic throughout. Another solid cut. Understandably, Rihanna moved onwards and upwards from this R&B Music to a Pop superstar later on, but she should be genuinely proud of the material on this album. It is not weak nor anything to be disregarded. A chilled listen from an equally chilled album that articulates stories of love and hope throughout. Rihanna is a music goddess with an angelic and natural-sounding singing voice that articulates the life of the 21st-century lady. All in all, a seriously good listen that once again is totally underrated. Nice job, girl.

12. Now I Know is a longer piece that begins with some pretty and interesting piano, with Rihanna singing and string sections to match. This launches into a fantastic and moody-sounding song that no doubt convinced Coldplay to have her on their music later on. This is an upbeat and optimistically pretty tune about looking forward to the future with love and hope. This album continues to surprise as it goes on. Rihanna set her music template out on this debut album, and she sings extremely well on this song. This is a really gorgeous and timeless piece of music that runs for five minutes and is fluid and monumental in its own way. Rihanna deserves all the praise she needs for this album. It sounds absolutely magical to listen to. The music is not revolutionary in a Sgt. Pepper (1967) way. Instead, it is a simple and lovable album that is chock full of consistency and surprises. This song will make you want to cry with happiness; it is truly beautiful to listen to. This is what magical music moments do for people. A key change is present towards the end, but it sounds totally effortless, unlike many key change sections in music. A great song that has a classy and feminine character. Great job, Rihanna. This is powerfully emotional music to listen to. Lovely.

13. Pon De Replay – Remix is an Elephant Mix remix effort. It has some nice beats and some male vocals mixed in, before this tune gets going nicely. A tasty remix that is very different from the original, and is more calculated and punchy than the original. This ends the album very nicely and concludes that, more than people realised, Rihanna was and is certainly talented. A great mixture of Caribbean sounds and Western Music beats that work. A seriously fresh and interesting tune, Rihanna launched herself into the stratosphere with this debut album, and ears were listening. This remix showcases that in the 21st century, some remixes can bring more light to an original song. Again, a great conclusion to a solid and mostly consistent debut album that is impressive. The rapping is a bit out of place on this track, but it is not a big deal. It concludes with Rihanna’s inimitable singing and DJ beats. A very awesome tune to hear. It concludes with the beats and melody at hand.

This is a great debut album, although it does have its weaknesses with some of the consistency of the tracks present. Still, this is as good as it gets for a young Rihanna starting out. Her inimitable and instantly recognisable voice is powerful throughout these rather dated-sounding R&B songs, although they are genuinely good. With one or two exceptions, this is near flawless listening. Any fan of female divas, and in particular Rihanna fans, should pay attention to this debut album. Should you listen to this album? Go for it if you dig lush R&B that is mostly consistent, but if you like Punk or Metal, do avoid this album.

If you like this article, please like, share, comment and follow me on The Ultimate Music Library. Thank you, Chris Airey.