Album review: Rihanna’s Rated R (2009)

Rated R is Rihanna’s fourth studio album. It features R&B mixed with hip-hop, rock and dubstep. The elements of rock and dubstep would’ve been out of place if it weren’t for Rihanna’s thick and rich contralto voice to gel everything together. The tone of the album is dark and grim. The lyrics are bold and explicit with profanity featuring prominently throughout.

Thematically, Rated R is consistent and it gets the hard break-up and perseverance theme across in ways that are confrontational and dramatic. Rihanna delivered these recordings with passion and intensity that makes the record feels autobiographical.

Overall, this album shows Rihanna maturity as a person and an artist. It is a personal statement against the difficulties in her life laid bare. She made these songs worked. Other artists would have difficulty covering these songs. Rihanna’s Rated R is morbid and at the same time spectacular. The dynamic range of this album is poor but clipping is minimal.

Rated R

by Rihanna

Released:	November 20, 2009
Genre:	R&B
Label:	Def Jam
Length:	51:55

Track listing

#	Title	Length
01.	"Mad House"	1:34
02.	"Wait Your Turn"	3:46
03.	"Hard" (featuring Young Jeezy)	4:10
04.	"Stupid in Love"	4:01
05.	"Rockstar 101" (featuring Slash)	3:58
06.	"Russian Roulette"	3:47
07.	"Fire Bomb"	4:17
08.	"Rude Boy"	3:42
09.	"Photographs" (featuring will.i.am)	4:46
10.	"G4L"	3:59
11.	"Te Amo"	3:28
12.	"Cold Case Love"	6:09
13.	"The Last Song"	4:16

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