It took me a very long time to post and type out this review, this is a beloved album for me, which is usually not the reaction anyone expects when they see Rated R in the Rihanna discography.

This is already a lengthy enough review without an essay for an intro so wont say much more.

Everyone knew before the album was released how every single song, every single lyric was going to scrutinized after how public Rihanna’s experience of domestic abuse was portrayed. Of course it didnt help that this was the album that had to follow up the masterpiece Good Girl Gone Bad. She came back with a bang, a lot more darker undertones, a lot more swearing, her sexuality is really a lot more prominent than ever before. I’ll leave my opinions of all of the above for the end of the review.

1. Mad House – ‘for those of you can take it, we can say welcome to the mad house’. If you havent heard this already, please bless your ears with the beautiful musical orgasm. Its a great introduction into what we are already expecting to be a darker riri. I love how her voice plays an instrument, the bass, the rock influences, the techno beats. Perfect. This is that song that when I wanna feel like a badass, I will pretend like Im this shit with this playing in the background.Overall – 9/10
2. Wait Your Turn (single) – Again the rock is coming through, and I can almost hear a little bitof reggae in there again, the common way she’s using the synths and drums in this album are so prominent in this song. She sounds bitter. This isnt a song about heart break, or even getting hurt in a relationship. Its a straight up embracing of her sexuality, she knows she has a line of guys waiting for her. She knows shes worth the wait, and she’s not about to be with the first person to come her way.
   Overall – 7/10
3. Hard (single) – the percussion, the base, the introductory vocals are such an attitude. Shes sucha badass this entire album fuck. And despite the badass instrumentals, the lyrics are quite telling.
   This album was released after a traumatic event in her life, shes conveying through her music to not feel sorry for her. Shes a huge ass personality that wants to be known for her work and her art, she’s ‘hard’ and isnt damaged so easily.The only thing I dont like is the chorus and dont hate me but- young jeezy’s verse. The chorous is more of a personal preference, I just dont like single worded Rihanna choruses, including ‘work’.
   Overall – 6.5/10
4. Stupid In Love – Every-time I get burned in a relationship, this the song that I listen to. The simple snaps and piano, the occasional drums to emphasize the lyrics work so beautifully here. The lyrics are the epitome of feeling like an idiot in a relationship. Putting in all the effort into it, and refusing to see the bad in the other half, but then all of a sudden its like the world falls apart. Something so horrible happens that the blindfold is ripped off, and everything the friends said was wrong with him comes true. And thats when we think fuck him, we arent that stupid, we’re not gonna keep falling for it. Shes the shit without her man, and he just lost out on something so excellent. Neyo and Rihanna gave us some more worthy artistry. Overall – 8/10

5. Rockstar 101 (single) – another badassery song. And the song featuring slash of course has that grunge rock feel to it, but the electronic pop is also present. The sexual innuendo in this song are sooooo explicit: ’baby take me in, I disobey the law, make sure you frisk me good, make sure to check my panties and my bra’. I love every single thing about the song, the guitar solos, the lyrics all about how shes not a victim and shes a ‘rockstar’. Every single stereotype of the rockstar lifestyle is listed in this song.Overall – 8/10
6. Russian roulette (single) – this was the first single Rihanna released after having gonethrough her abusive relationship. Anything she released it was going to be a big deal. I dont think she could have picked a better song. This song is lyrically and musically so morbid.
   The beginning guitar strings set the tone for the entire song. The themes are all about gambling for love. She could’ve picked any other game but she chose Russian Roulette, which ultimately is do or die. It’s a beautiful song. Another iconic Rihanna song.There are some haunting lyrics in this:
   ‘And then I get a scary thought, that hes here, means he’s never lost’
   ‘He says close your eyes, sometimes it helps’
   ‘But its too late to think of the value of my life’
   Overall if could give this a higher rating I would, just for the lyrics – 10/10
7. Fire Bomb – when this album first came out, this was the last song that I learned to appreciate. I was going through the whole album very quick and kinda ignored this gem. This has got to be one of her most underrated songs to date. Its fucking beautifully composed, the lyrics are magnificent, her vocals are so smooth. I almost feel like doing a separate post on just this song alone just for the story its telling. Yeah I think imma do that. Overall – 10/10
8. Rude Boy (single) – quite a controversial song/video when this first came out. I dont know why anyone was surprised by it, the sexual undertones of Rihanna’s music have always been very explicit. She usually doesn’t leave much to the imagination. It’s a good sexual song, but it’s not my favourite by her. The reggae influences are back along with the dark rock/ pop. While researching the album I was informed that Rude Boy is actually slang for someone who is, well, well endowed in a matter of speaking.Overall – 6.5/10
9. Photographs – another underrated gem. I didn’t realize how well the vocals of WillIAm andRihanna work together, it’s a shame they dont have any more songs out together. The strings and guitar at the beginning my god are beautiful. Its heartbreaking, with the musical composition and vocals being total juxtaposition to the words. The lyrics are summarized by the chorus: ‘All I got are these photographs, Got nothing without you’.
   Credit where credit is due, WillIAm brought something so new and refreshing, almost like a different version of Hate That I Love You. Overall – 10/10
10. G4L – Immediately my ears are introduced to an electronic beat followed by spiteful singing. Before I get into the themes of the song, I kind of just wanted to point out how much violence and guns are a recurrent energy in this album. Given her mindset I can’t say Im surprised. That being said I love this song, how no matter what she’s going to have her girlfriends back. Through thick and thin, she’s willing to kill for whoever hurts her friend, her loyalty runs deep. I kinda dig the production as well. Overall – 7.5/10
11. Te Amo – the production of this song can be best described as : her island roots having a baby with her new found love for electronic pop. I know it’s widely believed that this is song with LGBT themes, but the song is actually a James Faultenroy cover. I listened to both versions one after the other, whereas the Jame version almost sounds sympathetic, Rihanna’s sounds cynical and almost bitter. Both versions lyrically convey the suffocated feeling when someone really starts to absorb themselves them into your life. Whether its love, whether its falling too fast, sometimes we all just need our space. Overall – 7.5/10
12. Cold Case Love – I know I sound wicked repetitive, but this is another underrated song. Its quite a bit of a lengthy song, but to this day I think this qualifies as one of her best songs. I’ll start with the composition: simple, beautiful, add to the words without taking away from them, the strings add so much depth.

Now for the lyrics, if you havent heard the song, and havent heard the lyrics. I please please highly reccomend you do. Its such a masterpiece.
‘On my roof, dark and I’m burning a rose. I dont need proof, Im torn apart and you know what you did to me was a crime.’

We all know what her story is, we all know what she’s been through. This feels like another song I want to do a separate post on, it’s beautiful and doesn’t deserve the injustice of just one paragraph.
Overall – 10/10

13. The Last Song – This is sucha crazy metaphorical song. I had to listen to it three times just to get every single point down.
The song is a metaphor for the events in her relationship, ‘from all your complaining of hearing the same song’. The mundanity of the relationship is something she almost welcomes, because otherwise theres two outcomes:

1. ‘what if you wasted love, and our love in time disappears, and the sad song ends up being the last song you’ll ever hear?’ – what if we fall out of love?
2. ’what if we left every moment that we could spare, and the perfect song ends up being the last song you’ll ever hear?’ – what if we gave it our all and come to an amicable end? She ends the song realizing that the end of her relationship was a mixture of both outcomes: ‘what if you wasted love, and out love in time disappears, and the perfect song ends up being the last song you’ll ever hear?’- they fell out of love but she didnt have a choice but to come terms with it amicably because the alternative was too dark and an all consuming anger. Beautiful end to her tumultuous rift of emotions, and ironically the last song on the album.
Overall – 10/10

Before this album I never respected the lyrics of Rihanna’s songs. I was a fan just for the entertainment quota and the composition. But there was songs in this album that make me sob, that make me think of moments in my own life. I will dare to say this is her most underrated album ever, theres some beautiful moments on this record that I don’t think she’s known for enough, the lyrics are so deep and poetic. I don’t know how to put into words the significance this album holds in my life, and it took me a really long time to review it, just for the nostalgia associated. Probably my most listened to Rihanna album, for which I know I will get downvoted, but its the honest truth.

Another thing I’d like to point out, her albums are insanely cohesive. This album in particular shows all the dark tones and immediate anger reaction post being hurt to an incomprehensible level, the second half is acknowledging heartbreak, moving on and almost a level of acceptance. And this isn’t the first time her album has been cohesive.

Album Review – 9/10 (lots of personal bias included)