From the pop R&B artist who brought us the Nike endorsed upbeat single “S.O.S” and that heart wrenching yet beautifully written “Unfaithfull” comes a new album “Good Girl Gone Bad”. If you have not heard of the song “Unfaithful”, do click onto the link and check it out. It is hard to imagine that a 18 years old girl has the level of maturity to pull that one off. And Rihanna did that beautifully.
I have no idea where Barbados is (okay, I read that it is the most easterly island in the Caribbean and have obtained independence from UK in 1966) but Barbadian singer Rihanna has certainly made her home country proud with her charm and music.
What I love most about “Good Girl Gone Bad” is its strong opening. It is hard not to fall in love with the first five songs of the album at first listen. They are stylishly crafted and make you want to dance. If “Unfaithful” is my favorite track from her previous album “A Girl Like Me”, “Umbrella feat. JAY-Z” has to be the one in this album. In fact, I have never heard the word “umbrella” being sung with such a style. One time, I was out there at the Singapore Botanical Garden and there were two young girls singing happily with the hook from “Umbrella”. And that level of happiness is contagious. Soon I was having the song in my head. If you take a look at the lyrics from Rihanna’s official website, “Umbrella” is a song about two lovers who take an oath together and are determined to stick with one and other through thick and thin. Quite a meaningful song it is.
Out of the first five strong openings, Cynthia likes the fourth track “Breakin’ Dishes” a lot. I can certainly understand why. The beat is unique, the bass-line is powerful, and the melody is funky. As for me, the fifth track “Shut Up And Drive” (her second single after “Umbrella”) has a special place in my heart. “Shut Up And Drive” begins with a sampling from the 80’s rock band New Order’s “Blue Monday” and it sounds interesting to mix 80’s rock sound into today’s pop.
The problem of having such a strong opening in an album is how then to follow it through. The album could become tiring and old if the same style continues. Doing anything different may make it hard to follow the energy through. And perhaps that is why both Cynthia and I feel that the next two songs that are more mellow and with a pure R&B sound fall short of expectation. It is especially disappointing to me when “Hate That I Love You feat. Ne-Yo” (written by the same songwriter who wrote my favorite song “Unfaithful”) does not manage to rekindle the magic of “Unfaithful”.
Then comes the urban and reggae influenced “Sell Me Candy”, “Lemme Get That” (co-written by JAY-Z), and “Rehab” that are produced by Timbaland – the producer who created hit singles for Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, and Nelly Furtado – just to name a few. Out of these three songs that are produced by Timbaland, I enjoy “Rehab” the most. This mellow “Rehab” is co-written by Justin Timberlake and he sings the backing vocals for the song. Just beautiful.
What happens when you put JAY-Z and Ne-Yo together with Stargate as the production team? A powerful slow song with meaningful lyrics on humanity – “Question Existing”. And if Ne-Yo has somewhat disappointed me with that one song in the middle of the album, his work on the last slow track “Good Girl Gone Bad” has certainly fully redeemed himself (okay, that song in question is not that bad … the beat is pretty funky). What a way to close this 45 minutes album.
Perhaps for some, it is not a question of whether or not to get this album but should or should you not spend the extra money and get the Collector’s Limited Edition. This special edition comes with an entry pass for 2 to Powerhouse with a catch – for ladies only. But the good thing is that this pass works on weekends and weekends only (Fri/Sat before 11pm). This is way better than the entry pass to The Boiler Room from the Bon Jovi Lost Highway album that only works on weekdays. Entry pass aside, this special edition comes with an additional CD that contains over 78 minutes of 12 remixes including S.O.S. as well as two previously unreleased songs “Cry” and “Haunted” – both remixed by Steve Mac. Steve Mac’s work is probably my favorite amongst the rest of the remix teams. Though it is strange to hear the song “Umbrella” being spanned at a much faster speed, I can imagine those who enjoy disco and trance music may like this CD.
Below is the video clip of her first single “Umbrella”. If you like it, you may try out her second single my favorite “Shut Up And Dance” and Cynthia’s favorite “Breakin’ Dishes”.
Related Website: Rihanna’s Official Site.
3 replies on “Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad – Probably The Most Notable Pop R&B Album Of Lately”
This was the album you were listening to in your car isn’t it? The one I said I can’t tell the difference between the different artistes? I think it has to do with my failing hearing that comes with age…
Yes, this was that album that was playing in my car. I think you are still new to the Hip Hop / R&B genre. It is normal that you can’t tell which from which. Same applies to those who are new to classical music or DJ / Dance for instance. But for those who have spent much time listening to them, you can tell a Mozart from a Beethoven almost immediately. Nothing to do with age I ensure you 🙂
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