FEATURE:
Second Spin
Rihanna - Rated R
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FOR this round of Second Spin…
I am focusing on Rihanna’s sixth studio album, Rated R. I cannot count myself as a big Rihanna fan, but I have always respected her music. Whilst many of her albums have not scored big with the critics – in contrast to the commercial success and her huge fanbase -, I think there are albums in her catalogue that warrant greater investigation and approval. One such album is Rated R. Released on 20th November, 2009 by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records, it contains some of her best songs in Rude Boy, and Russian Roulette. For those who are new to Rihanna or do not consider themselves fans, I think Rated R is a good entry point, and I think it is one of her most consistent and eclectic albums. Although Rihanna worked alongside various record producers, including Chase & Status, StarGate, The-Dream, Ne-Yo, and Brian Kennedy, I don’t think she is pushed and pulled in too many directions. Rihanna (Robyn Fenty) co-writes several tracks on the album – including Rude Boy -, and I think the fact there are some excellent collaborators on the album – Slash played guitar on Rockstar 101. Rated R was a departure for Rihanna in terms of music and lyrics. Good Girl Gone Bad, her previous album of 2007, was more upbeat, but Rated R came out around the time she was assaulted by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown. Because of that, there is something darker in Rated R, but there is plenty of life and musical diversity – including the Latin tones of Te Amo.
Although Rated R has received some of the best reviews of Rihanna’s career, I still think some critics were harsh, and many others dismissed the albums. As a body of work, this is a polished and layered album that has some great guitar hooks and some of Rihanna’s most engaging and emotionally-affecting vocals. Wait Your Turn is one of the strongest cuts from album, and I do like the Dubstep elements and flavours. The insatiable energy and kick of Rude Boy meant that it went to number-one in the U.S., and the album entered the top-ten in many countries. It is clear that Rated R is a hugely important and transformative album for Rihanna. I want to bring in an article that talks about the time around Rated R’s release, and how Rihanna put her all into the album:
“As pictures of Rihanna’s injured face leaked to the press, the singer endured criticisms and rumours about how she handled the situation, prompting her to take a break, both musically and from public appearances. After her appearance in Kanye’s video, however, she returned to the studio. Singing on a triumphant hook from Jay Z and Ye’s ‘Run This Town’, Rihanna made it clear: she was ready to take over the world once again.
Released on 23 November 2009, Rated R plays out like a classic horror film. A narrator opens the album with an ominous introduction: “Ladies and gentlemen/To those among you who are easily frightened/We suggest you turn away now/To those of you who think they can take it/We say: welcome to the Mad House!”
But ‘Russian Roulette’ was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the kind of emotional excavation she would perform on the album. Full of gut-wrenching ballads, Rated R sees Rihanna trying to separate her real self from tabloid narratives and a packaged persona. Even with a team of top pop producers at her disposal, she was heavily involved with the songwriting process, co-writing nine of the album’s 13 tracks and receiving an executive producer credit.
Rated R is, for the most part, a solo affair with few guests or features, one of the exceptions being a spot from Black Eyed Peas frontman and producer will.i.am, who wrote and features on ‘Photographs’. Originally intended for his group’s The END album, Rihanna fell in love with the track and used it for her own project, where it remains a sleeper hit in her catalogue.
Meanwhile, on the Top 10 hit ‘Hard’, Rihanna does her best hip-hop posturing over aggressive synths and pounding piano notes, enlisting rapper Young Jeezy for a Dirty South co-sign. From the jump, Rihanna lets you know that nothing (and no one) is going to slow her down: “No pain is forever/Yup, you know this,” she spits.
After putting herself through the ringer, Rihanna finally finds closure on the aptly titled ‘The Last Song’. With shimmering guitars and moody feedback, it’s the emotional climax of Rated R: a last reflection on the person she once was and the artist she was destined to become”.
It is a shame that Rated R has not received all the love it deserves. There have been some positive reviews, but many have been half-hearted – and people do not talk much about Rated R as much as you would imagine. To give you an example of some who were a little mixed on the album, this is what Pitchfork wrote:
“Talking about Rated R in a promo interview, Rihanna said, "Anybody can make a hit, but I wanted a real album." Such is the flawed logic of a newly legal drinker who has known only skyrocketing commercial success. While the singer is trying to accentuate her individuality and independence with this album, the "dark" and/or "mature" LP is nothing new-- from Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope to Christina Aguilera's Stripped to Kelly Clarkson's My December, the rebel record is now a de rigeur coming-of-age maneuver. Based on Rated R, Rihanna's artistic aspirations are currently loftier than her abilities. Then again, her tenacity in the face of the unimaginable public humiliation this year is beyond brave. For a while, Rihanna lacked a compelling narrative but couldn't yawn without hitting the Top 10. Now her story is overflowing, but her songs aren't sticking as they once did. Not just anybody can make a hit, and no one can make hits all the time”.
I want to bring in a review from AllMusic, as they were a lot kinder to the album, and they seem to understand what Rihanna was trying to say:
“The closest the set gets to upbeat pop is “Rude Boy,” and by any standard it is stern; needless to say, there is quite a difference between “Can you get it up?” and “You can stand under my umbrella.” Much of this daring album is absolutely over the top, bleak and sleek both lyrically and sonically, but it’s compelling, filled with as many memorably belligerent lines -- two of which, “I pitch with a grenade/Swing away if ya feeling brave” and “I’m such a fuckin’ lady,” set the tone early on -- as a rap album made ripe for dissection. “G4L,” over a low-slung and sleek production, is the most fantastical of all, in which Rihanna leads a band of homicidal women, opening with “I lick the gun when I’m done ‘cause I know that revenge is sweet” and “Any mothaf*cka wanna disrespect/Playin’ with fire finna get you wet.” The breakup song, “Fire Bomb,” even though it is also metaphorical, is a close second in terms of lyrical extremity: “I just wanna set you on fire so I won’t have to burn alone.” Some of the breathers -- the songs that are less intense -- hold the album back since Rihanna sounds detached from them. The one exception is the wistful, bittersweet “Photographs,” a rare instance of the singer dropping her guard, but it really sticks out since it is surrounded by material that has her taking the variably authentic roles of abused lover, dominatrix, and murderer. Whether the album seems ridiculous or spectacular (or both), Rihanna's complete immersion in the majority of the songs cannot be disputed. That is the one thing that is not up for debate”.
I would encourage people to go and check out Rated R, as it is a great album and one that has a lot of range and standout moments. Maybe Rihanna would soar higher on other albums, but few (in her catalogue) are as effecting, honest and striking….
THAN Rated R.