Rihanna - 9th Album

[soratami]

The "not everything has to be a bop" takes have already started on twitter.

But the truth of the matter is... everything has to be a bop.

 

[inevitable]

It’s not giving.

 

[soratami]

The instrumental is lovely, but, no offense to Rihanna, this would have been so much better in the hands of a different singer. You need someone with a stronger, more soulful voice to pull a song like this off, her vocals are just not cutting it in the slightest.

 

[Joe.]

My friend said the instrumental is an iPhone alarm and I can't unhear it.

 

[Vasilios]

The instrumental is lovely, but, no offense to Rihanna, this would have been so much better in the hands of a different singer. You need someone with a stronger, more soulful voice to pull a song like this off, her vocals are just not cutting it in the slightest.

Is it though. Those massage parlour plink plonk beats nn

 

[An Insider]

This is her Shallow, her Stupid Love is coming!

 

[Verandi]

This is her Shallow, her Stupid Love is coming!

Delete this.

 

[Leader Beans]

I was looking forward to a ballad moment but there's simply no reason for it to be this boring.

 

[Up N Down]

This is her Shallow, her Stupid Love is coming!

 

[elektricblue]

Her vocals on this sound really bad to me? Either it doesn't suit her voice or maybe she's out of practice and hasn't been taking vocal lessons. A shame because I feel like before her vocals were getting stronger each era.

 

[Vasilios]

We're in for a treat, I fear.

You lied.gif

 

[Joe.]

You lied.gif

Okay so I've tried the manifesting thing now and it turns out it isn't for me.

 

[Vasilios]

Okay so I've tried the manifesting thing now and it turns out it isn't for me.

I thought you had insider tea dd

 

[inevitable]

My friend said the instrumental is an iPhone alarm and I can't unhear it.

Now I can’t unhear it ddddd

 

[LTG]

The girlies wish they had a bop like Try Everything from the Motion Picture Zootopia/Zootropolis.

 

[Future Lover]

I get that the long LONG pauses she's been serving for the past decade have somehow pushed her into the stratosphere of mythical cool (and somehow made us tolerate Eminem of all people by proxy), but she's always been, at best, a phenomenally successful but just competent bop maker and an sub-average balladeer. Clown college curriculum, I fear. The absolute downward ride that was everything post-"Rated R", and then the long wait for "ANTI" when we got... that. I know it's a well-loved album here, but to me, felt aimless and like an death knell to her music career. Everything after that... is just a hobby of a make-up mogul. Excited to see what she'll cook up for SuperBowl, but... time for the balloon to pop.

 

[dontkillmyvibe]

I get that the long LONG pauses she's been serving for the past decade have somehow pushed her into the stratosphere of mythical cool (and somehow made us tolerate Eminem of all people by proxy), but she's always been, at best, a phenomenally successful but just competent bop maker and an sub-average balladeer. Clown college curriculum, I fear. The absolute downward ride that was everything post-"Rated R", and then the long wait for "ANTI" when we got... that. I know it's a well-loved album here, but to me, felt aimless and like an death knell to her music career. Everything after that... is just a hobby of a make-up mogul. Excited to see what she'll cook up for SuperBowl, but... time for the balloon to pop.

She has some great songs, actually. Her singles discography is one of the best of the last 20 years in pop music.
I agree that her albums are not that good though, and even the most acclaimed ones have a lot of “meh” tracks.

 

[diegolcl]

Remember when Rihanna used to release a bop feature on top of an average single? I hope she remembers...

 

[johnoclock]

Rihanna has some great ballads though. Stay, Diamonds (it's a ballad right?), Love On the Brain and my personal favorite, Unfaithful. Maybe this isn't giving but she can do ballads.

 

[popjunkie]

My Good Girl Gone Bad vinyl arrived yesterday. So after bopping to that before bed and then waking up to this it’s just disappointing. Not everything has to be a bop but not every artist can pull off a ballad well.