Booming R&B Beats Fuel Rihanna's 8th Album
Anti (2016)
1. "Consideration" Featuring SZA
This is a cool opener with a nice beat and has Rihanna singing alongside SZA about a relationship that Rihanna at odds with her man. It causes irrefutable pain and I like how the song kind of abruptly concludes. It's a good intro.
This is a cool opener with a nice beat and has Rihanna singing alongside SZA about a relationship that Rihanna at odds with her man. It causes irrefutable pain and I like how the song kind of abruptly concludes. It's a good intro.
(B)
2. "James Joint"
A nice sounding interlude...but an interlude no less that doesn't make much of an impression. Next track!
3. "Kiss It Better"
Oh this song is my jam! :) Now this is a song that I rather hear from Rihanna than her relentless songs of her sexual practices. This song has an old school R&B feel to it that is for grown folks ready to make up and Rihanna manages to do things tastefully despite the repeated F bombs.
(B+)
4. "Work" Featuring Drake
Becoming her very recent 14th #1 single on the Hot 100, "Work" could have used more "work" in of itself. Hard to believe this song took 8...yes...8 writers to write it! o_O This is what I like to call "catchy gibberish". I mean it's not really a song and despite Rihanna using Jamaican patois once again for this dancehall/reggae joint, the song makes no sense from a lyrically stand point. Even Drake hot off his "Hotling Bling" success at the time doesn't raise this song from mediocrity. Now I know a song from this genre doesn't need much lyrical depth or the best production but it's just a lousy song that feels lazy. Not to mention, for a song that officially made Rihanna the third artist in history with the most number ones, it's kind of sad.
4. "Work" Featuring Drake
Becoming her very recent 14th #1 single on the Hot 100, "Work" could have used more "work" in of itself. Hard to believe this song took 8...yes...8 writers to write it! o_O This is what I like to call "catchy gibberish". I mean it's not really a song and despite Rihanna using Jamaican patois once again for this dancehall/reggae joint, the song makes no sense from a lyrically stand point. Even Drake hot off his "Hotling Bling" success at the time doesn't raise this song from mediocrity. Now I know a song from this genre doesn't need much lyrical depth or the best production but it's just a lousy song that feels lazy. Not to mention, for a song that officially made Rihanna the third artist in history with the most number ones, it's kind of sad.
(C-)
5. "Desperado"
This to me is like a hip hop western that has a nice beat. Rihanna is once again takes on her bad girl image by singing about two heart broken criminals. It's a pretty decent track and I like the feel of it which truly does invoke the sound of the western genre. I mean, anything at this point can be a step up from "Work".
(B)
6. "Woo"
"Woo" feels like filler with Travis Scott randomly echoing "woo" during the chorus and Rihanna expressing deep concern over her man's apparent former/new lover or "side chick". The song just doesn't standout, even though it's production tries to make up for the song's lyrical shortcomings.
(C)
7. "Needed Me"
Bringing back her bad girl image, Rihanna puts her man "on blast" about him needed her and for him not to get it the other way around. I enjoy this one. Sure Rihanna's "I'm a bad b!tch" routine is just an act, but sometimes it can be a pretty entertaining act none the less.
(B-)
8. "Yeah, I Said It"
Here we have Rihanna once again making a song how she likes to tease and please...or having her man please her in this case. It feels more like a prolonged interlude than a song that lives you hot and bothered.
(C)
9. "Same Ol' Mistakes"
"Same Ol' Mistakes" feels like one of those songs that goes on for far longer than it needs. At the half way point, you're already wanting the song to be over before it switches it's beat. Now I get the lyrics and I'm all for Rihanna being enlightened by feeling like a brand new person, but this is pretty dire. I mean by simply making the song shorter, you have a more cohesive song that feels more enjoyable but oh well.
(D+)
(D+)
10. "Never Ending"
This is a nice piano ballad/mid-tempo track from Rihanna with some good lyrics and a beautiful melody.
(B)
11. "Love On The Brain"
Wow, this came right out of left field...but I really like this one. "Love On The Brain" draws inspiration from 1950's/1960s pop music from the days of Motown and Cadillac Records. Rihanna's vocal delivery is quit stunning here matching the singing inflections of such great singers from that heyday like Etta James. This track was such a pleasant surprise.
(A-)
12. "Higher"
You know, Rihanna, a singer, is VERY inconsistent. After some good vocal work during the last track, she decides to throw it all away and give us this ear rape of a song. Actually, I'm sorry, "Higher" isn't even a song! It's Rihanna yelling endlessly into the microphone for 2 minutes. Yup, that pretty much sums it up. Next!
(F)
13. "Close To You"
This is another good ballad that is a god given relief after the last track. The lyrics are sweet and like I said, Rihanna's vulnerability should be shown more often as it fits her. It feels more real than her going on about her sex life and how tough she is any day.
(B-)
14. "Goodnight Gotham"
Ok....this is just weird and unnecessary. I mean I was thinking this was a Batman reference but instead it's just a smashing of various sounds and beats! Such a weird and worthless interlude.
15. "Pose"
Ok, this is just a lame filler with Rihanna singing silly lyrics about posing. The writing is just poor and childish. A bad song, nothing more, nothing less!
(D)
16. "Sex With Me"
With a whirling sex beat and alluring tone to it, "Sex With Me" is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine that became sort of my song for 2016 before hittin' the sheets!! lol I mean the lyrics are quite basic but the sensual tone mixed the explicit lyricism make feel exciting and raw....ok maybe I should calm down. It's not a great song by any means, but it's one I'm going to remember fondly for it's baby making hypnotic power on me as well as other listeners out there.
(C+)
Well, it took Rihanna 4 years after the tragedy that was her 7th studio album, "Unapologetic" a clearly rushed hack job of an album, that while has a few hits, really felt apart quickly. She would go on a musical hiatus; starring in terrible movies *cough*Battleship and begin recording new material in late 2014; going on 2015. Three singles would be released that year getting fans ready for the official release of "Anti", her 8th studio album. First came the Paul McCartney assisted "FourFiveSeconds", then the aggressive "B!tch Better Have My Money"and finally the perplexing pop anthem "American Oxygen". All of that was a preparation for the album and purposefully left off the album's final track listing. Because of this, "Anti" feels more like a proper album given that more time was taken to complete it and Rihanna brought in a whole new team of producers from DJ Mustard, Brian Kennedy, Timbaland as well as a few old collaborators like No I.D. Because of thee changes, the album is a drastic departure from her EDM/ techno-pop dominated last few albums. "Anti" is primarily a pop/R&B album, while also dabbling in other genres like dancehall and classic soul music. The results are improved after "Unapologetic" but not by much. We still have to deal with songs like the lyrical repetitiveness of "Work" and the drawn out yelling nightmare that is "Higher". Seriously, what is up with her screaming like that!! That's not singing Riri!!! -_- Much better examples are the vintage blues of "Love On The Brain" and the western hip hop of "Desperado". It's where the album rises above songs like the deliriously clumsy "Pose" or the overly long "Same Ol' Mistakes". The album would not only go on to find success with it's singles like "Work" and the moderate hits, "Love On The Brain" and "Needed Me" but as well as accolades. It won Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 2016 American Music Awards as well as being nominated for Grammys like Record of the Year and Best Pop/Duo Performance. "Needed Me" was nominated for Best R&B Performance and "Kiss It Better" for Best R&B Song. Rihanna would then embark on the Anti World Tour during the fall of 2016. The album actually made several "Best of 2016" albums list, now while think it's far from that good, it's definitely a much more enjoyable run of tracks than her last.
"Losing the dance flavored club tunes in favor of rich soul, R&B grittiness and standard pop, "Anti"is a pretty entertaining ride from start to finish."
(C+)
11. "Love On The Brain"
Wow, this came right out of left field...but I really like this one. "Love On The Brain" draws inspiration from 1950's/1960s pop music from the days of Motown and Cadillac Records. Rihanna's vocal delivery is quit stunning here matching the singing inflections of such great singers from that heyday like Etta James. This track was such a pleasant surprise.
(A-)
12. "Higher"
You know, Rihanna, a singer, is VERY inconsistent. After some good vocal work during the last track, she decides to throw it all away and give us this ear rape of a song. Actually, I'm sorry, "Higher" isn't even a song! It's Rihanna yelling endlessly into the microphone for 2 minutes. Yup, that pretty much sums it up. Next!
(F)
13. "Close To You"
This is another good ballad that is a god given relief after the last track. The lyrics are sweet and like I said, Rihanna's vulnerability should be shown more often as it fits her. It feels more real than her going on about her sex life and how tough she is any day.
(B-)
14. "Goodnight Gotham"
Ok....this is just weird and unnecessary. I mean I was thinking this was a Batman reference but instead it's just a smashing of various sounds and beats! Such a weird and worthless interlude.
15. "Pose"
Ok, this is just a lame filler with Rihanna singing silly lyrics about posing. The writing is just poor and childish. A bad song, nothing more, nothing less!
(D)
16. "Sex With Me"
With a whirling sex beat and alluring tone to it, "Sex With Me" is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine that became sort of my song for 2016 before hittin' the sheets!! lol I mean the lyrics are quite basic but the sensual tone mixed the explicit lyricism make feel exciting and raw....ok maybe I should calm down. It's not a great song by any means, but it's one I'm going to remember fondly for it's baby making hypnotic power on me as well as other listeners out there.
(C+)
Well, it took Rihanna 4 years after the tragedy that was her 7th studio album, "Unapologetic" a clearly rushed hack job of an album, that while has a few hits, really felt apart quickly. She would go on a musical hiatus; starring in terrible movies *cough*Battleship and begin recording new material in late 2014; going on 2015. Three singles would be released that year getting fans ready for the official release of "Anti", her 8th studio album. First came the Paul McCartney assisted "FourFiveSeconds", then the aggressive "B!tch Better Have My Money"and finally the perplexing pop anthem "American Oxygen". All of that was a preparation for the album and purposefully left off the album's final track listing. Because of this, "Anti" feels more like a proper album given that more time was taken to complete it and Rihanna brought in a whole new team of producers from DJ Mustard, Brian Kennedy, Timbaland as well as a few old collaborators like No I.D. Because of thee changes, the album is a drastic departure from her EDM/ techno-pop dominated last few albums. "Anti" is primarily a pop/R&B album, while also dabbling in other genres like dancehall and classic soul music. The results are improved after "Unapologetic" but not by much. We still have to deal with songs like the lyrical repetitiveness of "Work" and the drawn out yelling nightmare that is "Higher". Seriously, what is up with her screaming like that!! That's not singing Riri!!! -_- Much better examples are the vintage blues of "Love On The Brain" and the western hip hop of "Desperado". It's where the album rises above songs like the deliriously clumsy "Pose" or the overly long "Same Ol' Mistakes". The album would not only go on to find success with it's singles like "Work" and the moderate hits, "Love On The Brain" and "Needed Me" but as well as accolades. It won Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 2016 American Music Awards as well as being nominated for Grammys like Record of the Year and Best Pop/Duo Performance. "Needed Me" was nominated for Best R&B Performance and "Kiss It Better" for Best R&B Song. Rihanna would then embark on the Anti World Tour during the fall of 2016. The album actually made several "Best of 2016" albums list, now while think it's far from that good, it's definitely a much more enjoyable run of tracks than her last.
"Losing the dance flavored club tunes in favor of rich soul, R&B grittiness and standard pop, "Anti"is a pretty entertaining ride from start to finish."
(C+)
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