Five years ago, hip hop boss Jay-Z was so fixed on signing Rihanna, his newest discovery, that he refused to let her leave his office until she signed with his Def Jam label. Jay-Z deserves to be commended for his incredible foresight, as Rihanna has become one of the premier pop stars of our time.
Only a year after the release of her previous album, "Rated R," which displayed her stunning melodious versatility, Rihanna is yet again satisfying music lovers with her vocal prowess. "Loud" is a short, nostalgic flashback to Rihanna's true style, putting together lovable tracks that remind listeners of her good old pop and R&B days.
The fundamental difference between "Rated R" and "Loud" is that the former is a wholesome album. It is an artistically icy and imaginative piece of work. The album is interconnected and in a way has its own personality. "Loud," on the other hand, contains evidence of Rihanna merely stringing together completely unrelated tracks; one of the advantages of being Rihanna is that you can do that and get away with it. After all, there's not a single bad song on the album, perhaps due to her robust and powerful voice.
Stargate, the production team who produced hits "Take a Bow" and "Don't Stop The Music," struck again to deliver several of the album's best tracks. The album starts off with "S&M," a catchy dance track that would make anyone smile as they hear traces of her 2006 hit single "SOS." It sets an energetic tone for the rest of the album.
Following that is the hit single, "What's My Name," which, although severely weakened by Drake's miserable rapping, still manages to hold the qualities of a hit single thanks to a solid beat and an even better vocal delivery from Rihanna.
The next song on the album, "Cheers (Drink to That)," features Avril Lavigne of all people, but it surprisingly turns out to be one the many highlights of the album with a unique and unexpected sound.
A track from the middle of the album, "Man Down," is simply interesting; musically, it's a simple island tune, but the "Rated R"-style edge to the work gives it an unexpected power. The songs "Only Girl (In the World)" and "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" are undoubtedly the best tracks on the album and will both spend a significant amount of time on Billboard's Top 40 list.
According to Rihanna, though this album is seemingly a culmination of 11 unrelated tracks, each one stands alone as a display of both her pop and West Indian roots.
"Loud,"as whole, is a strong pop record, though not a truly exceptional one due to its lack of cohesiveness. Still, it epitomizes the magnetism of Rihanna as a top-level pop star, topping sales charts with a disconnected piece of work that features a singer bizarrely moving from one single to another. Rihanna is on the right track and remains a cut above the mediocre masses.
