LOUD AND PROUD

Written by Amanda Denett

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

"I may be bad but I'm perfectly good at it"...RIHANNA IS BACK AND SHE'S BETTER THAN EVER. Her fifth LP 'LOUD' was released this past Tuesday and is ALREADY dominating the charts. This album is filled with incredible melodies and upbeat tracks. It's only been a year since RiRi's dark and edgy album 'Rated R', but Rihanna Navy (the title for her fan-base) is not complaining. There are a few A list collaborations on this album including Drizzy Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Eminem.

The album starts out with the sanguine and flirty track "S&M". In this track we discover 

Rihanna's mischievous side. With lyrics like "Sex in the air/ I don't care/ I love the smell of it". 

From listening to the first track you can already declare that Rihanna is willing to take risks 

and doesn't care how people perceive her. We also get a feel of Rihanna's West Indian roots on the track "Man Down". This is something we've been missing from Rihanna since her second LP 'A Girl Like Me'. You really get to hear Rihanna's accent with "Rum Pa Pa Pum". When news spread about "Love The Way You Lie Part 2" being recorded back in August, some listeners thought it would be some-what tacky. In a recent interview with MTV, the pop goddess herself even had second thoughts of recording it. "I was completely against [it], there's no way you can beat the original". However just after one listen you feel more connected with the message through Rihanna's compelling verses.

 Another amazing track is RiRi's current single, "What's My Name?" featuring Drake. I think this record is something we've been waiting for for a long time. The track has a reggae feel mixed with a New York City vibe. Bonus? Drake blesses the track right before the first verse with his melodic flows.  Then we have the track "Raining Men" featuring Nicki Minaj, which seems like it has the potential of being the new "Single Ladies" anthem. "Always raining men girl what you worried bout". Who can't agree with that? The track "Complicated" immediately intrigues listeners with Rihanna's powerful voice belting out the following line: "Why is everything with you so Complicated?!" This song is so appreciable because it's something everyone can relate to. It talks about being in a relationship that is deteriorating and nothing can stop it from happening. The thing that makes this track so great is the last line "I'm gunna stick around just a little bit longer, just to make sure that you're really sure you like sleeping alone". So pure, so pertinent. We begin to see Rihanna's devilish side again in the track "Skin". Clearly, all RiRi wants is to "see you in just skin". Another person who shines on this album is singer/songwriter Ester Dean, she proves yet again that she knows the right way to make a club anthem. Some of the songs she wrote on LOUD are "S&M", "What's My Name", "Fading", and "Complicated".
 

Rihanna states that this is her best album yet! She says " This is just an expressive album, really in your face, every song is different from the other, and it's filled with great topics". She has come a long way from her "Pon de Replay" days and definitely has matured. Overall this album proves that she can STILL subjugate the pop charts and make it LOUD. 'LOUD' is an impressive album and it's great to play in your car or even right before you put your FREAKUM dress on.


You go RiRi.