Rihanna, 'Rated R'

Release date: Nov. 23, 2009
Record label: Def Jam
Official Web site: http://www.rihannanow.com/

The buzz: More than just the follow-up to her massively successful third LP—2007’s “Umbrella”-toting “Good Girl Gone Bad”—this latest from the Barbadian-born singer comes as a charged statement album. In the wake of a domestic abuse episode at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown and ever-increasing tabloid visibility, all eyes (and ears, gossip sites and camera phones) are focused on how Rihanna navigates this phase of her career.

The verdict: Unfortunately, what she’s gained in edge, she’s lost in catchiness. (And her boring ballads remain regrettably intact.) So, we’re met with a more edgy, less catchy Rihanna who still sings a few overwrought slow numbers. As a long-term career move, “Rated R” fits with what was really the only way Ri Ri could go: fully shedding her R&B-dance-pop-princess-in-the-making image for something much darker and more interesting. The songs here ably service that story line, but they don’t make many musical statements of their own accord. “G4L,” with all of its swear words, “Hard,” with its Young Jeezy cameo, “Rude Boy,” with its refreshingly upbeat tone, and the brilliantly deployed “Stupid in Love” and “Cold Case Love” offer this set’s most coherent successes. As an opening declaration for the next phase of her life, this’ll do—still, one can’t help but feel that it could have been so much better.

Did you know? Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash shows up on a track dubbed “Rockstar 101.”