RATED R -LOVES IT!

I’ve got a Rihanna confession.

You all know I stan for Rihanna. I’m a huge fan of hers. Yes I know that she can’t sing very well (but at least she sings live) and her performances are akin to watching a high school talent show (but she’s getting better). I have all of her albums, every last one of them. And until now, I thought they all sucked. I even checked my iTunes, and with the exception of 7 songs, I’ve played most of her tracks only twice, a couple 3 times, and way too many just once! Her stuff is too manufactured to me. It sounds like a bunch of record executives and producers got together and picked her songs.

Honestly, the Barbados connection (my parents are from there) and her fabulous style has been sustaining my love for Rihanna.

I had pre-ordered Rated R on iTunes because I had heard it wasn’t very good and I wanted to support her. I had heard that Rated R was dark, which it is, but I actually like this album. It doesn’t sound as phony and contrived as her previous efforts. It suits her image too– the girl with the cutting edge style and too many tatts. Sure it’s manufactured, but it’s so gritty that it sounds real. Obviously the "Chris Brown Incident" had a huge impact on this recording. It's as if she's trying to convince us that she's "hard", she's a tough girl. She's definitely not playing the victim on this album. Favourite tracks so far, Wait Your Turn, Rockstar 101, Rudeboy and Hard (I'll love the sound of Jeezy's voice). I say so far, because I'm still digesting.

Note to Rihanna, next time (God forbid) your boyfriend beats you down, you might want to take some time off before making your next record. Way too much gun-play talk on this album. But girl, I understand.