Rated 'You Da One'

6 albums in 7 years and now 2 singles from one album within a month of eachother. It seems Rihanna really is taking over the world. New album Talk That Talk is dropping in 8 days (stupidly excited right here) and just to tease us there's a summery new single for us to sink our nails into. 

This scenario reminds me of the Loud release, when the immense dance floor behemoth 'Only Girl (In the World)' was followed by a mid tempo, West Indian flavoured hook fest. Lead single 'We Found Love' is a huge, summery dance hit and now with 'You Da One' we have a more chill reggae-ish r'n'b effort. "You Da One that I think about all day-ay-ay", Rihanna sings in her ohsoaddictive Bajan tones, harking back to the "eh-eh-eh" of 'Umbrella' and the kettle drum beats of 'What's My Name?'. It's not as instantly brilliant as WMN or 'Man Down', but it's a relief to know that there is some classic sounding Ri on the upcoming TTT. WIth a few more plays this will become one of the catchiest tunes this winter.


4/5

Rated California King Bed

Loud has, so far, provided us with uptempo, feisty, booty shaking beauties. 'Only Girl' is, perhaps, Rihanna's most anthemic song to date and 'What's My Name?' and 'S&M' are sexy, sassy songs about the kinky stuff and a little bit of love, obviously. The big debate amongst her burgeoning fan base was "what will she release next?". Apparently the US is getting the epic reggae inspired 'Man Down'. Not us though, we're getting a ballad, a country ballad. It's not all as bad as you think. In fact, 'California King Bed' contains Rihanna's strongest vocals so far and the most authentically emotional performance she's given since 'Russian Roulette'. "In this California King Bed, we're ten thousand miles apart", sings Ri on this song about the crumbling foundations of a failing, yet intense romance. It's a bloody brilliant song and is one of the main reasons why Loud is a must have album.

Check out the lovely video too. Just lovely.

Rated 10 Day Song Challenge - Day 4

Oops, got side tracked yesterday and failed to keep the flow going with this post. 

Day 4

Rihanna - Man Down

It's no secret that I love a bit of the Bajan bogle queen. 'Man Down' from Ri's latest album Loud is an original moment for the new queen of dance-hall inspired pop. It's mid-tempo reggae ramblings allow her Bajan accent to slip through at its thickest to date, easily heard when she sings "Pull the trigga pull the trigga BOOM". With its Bob Marley inspired 'Rom papapom', 'Man Down' is an interesting, intelligent and damn charming moment for the pop-tart.