Review Summary: Overall, the album has some of the best pop-tunes ive heard in a while, and i can see keeping some of the songs for a while.
This is my first review on Sputnikmusic, on a Rihanna album. Now, first, id just like to say, this is not the kind of music I listen to, in fact, its probably the farthest thing from it. I'm going to try and balance this review/rating between the music i listen to, and the rest of the pop world that i see often on mtv.
This is a fairly simple pop album, on most songs there's only a drum, keyboard, and vocal track, but it feel like this is all that's needed. Obviously, the music is based around Rihannas vocals, and Rihannas singing on the album is very well done. Her voice always seems to have the perfect inflection, and the hooks are some of the catchiest I've heard in a long time. The lyrics are pretty average and generic, not much to say about them. The beats are good, never too simple (boring), but never obnoxious or detracting from the music. The keyboards/synths just add a small touch of atmosphere to most songs, and never stand out.
Song-wise, the hits are all here, and in full force. kicking off with some words from Jay-Z, "Umbrella" begins the album. next comes non-single, "Push Up On Me", which isn't nearly as catchy, as with most all of the non-singles on the album. Following in the "single, non-single" format for the next 4 songs are "Don't Stop The Music", "Breakin' Dishes", and "Shut Up & Drive". Not much to say about these songs that hasn't already been said about the first two, incredibly catchy single, followed by a semi-decent song.
The middle of the album is pretty good, though definitely the weak point on the album. Its dominated by less dance-y songs, with one of the best songs on the album, "Lemme Get That", featuring a very tribal drumline, and the song "Hate That I Love You" with Ne-Yo, who compliments the music very well.
The end of the album, which used to be "Good Girl Gone Bad" would probably have ended an album deserving of a 2.5 or so, but with the reloaded edition, this is not the case. Though a good ender, with an acoustic guitar and violin making for a great mood, the two best songs on the album are still waiting. Now, I'm the type of listener who greatly values a good track-list, and to me, the last song/s are usually the most important. And so, we have the super-catchy dance tune, "Disturbia". With its multi-layered vocals, and simple "bum-bum-beedum-bum-bum-bee-dum-dum" as a backdrop, this is easily the best song on the album. Next comes "Take A Bow", which would probably be the best way to end the album, yet it doesn't. The last song on the album is a collaboration on a Maroon 5 song, "If I Never See Your Face Again". It is a nice song, but could have been placed better. Perhaps you should just end the album on "Take A Bow".
Pros
-Pretty much every single
-Singles aren't bunched into the front of the album, making it more listenable as a whole.
Cons
-Filler-ish songs
-Album doesn't hold up as well over time (though, i can assume that's not quite what your looking for in an album like this)
Weighted against albums you would take more seriously, this probably deserves a 2 or a 1.5, but this is obviously not that kind of album. As a pop album, it deserves a 3.5, so, final rating=3
