#230 Rihanna, 'Anti' (2016)
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Having never listened to a Rihanna album in full, I had my preconceptions. I know her singles well; oversaturated radio hits, so I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. As it turns out, on this, her eighth record, Rihanna made a departure from the dance/club music she was known for and explored Pop, Hip Hop, Soul and RnB, as well as Dance Hall. Following her tour at the end of 2013, Rihanna aimed to take a hiatus. That was short lived and within a week she was back in the studio. She hired a house in Malibu and wrote honest music representative of her evolving sound.
First track is a collab with SZA (#472). Their voices work well together, but what is instantly evident is that Rihanna can SING! More than songs like ‘Umbrella’ would give her credit for. ‘James Joint’ is an alt-indie song, not what I expected from her at all. Rihanna claimed that she wanted to make songs that she could smoke to, so why not right a song about just that. Nuno Bettencourt, from Extreme, makes an appearance on guitar on ‘Kiss It Better,’ a central sound to the song. The next track was the lead single from the album, and what I expected the whole album to sound like. ‘Work,’ a Dancehall-inspired track, is a collab with Drake. ‘Needed Me,’ another single and another song that met my preconceived notions. In fact, the album slumped in the middle for me but then we get to track 9 and honestly, I thought Spotify had started playing the wrong album accidentally. Why am I hearing Tame Impala suddenly? ‘New Person, Same Old Mistakes’ from ‘Currents’ (#382). And then the vocals come in. It’s Rihanna covering Tame Impala (she simply titled it ‘Same Ol’ Mistakes’). NOT what I expected! Kevin Parker clearly produced the track, because it sounds just like Tame Impala musically. And then it goes into Dido. ‘Never Ending’ interpolates parts of Dido’s hit, ‘Thank You,’ but this version is so much better. The Prince/Al Green-inspired ‘Love On The Brain’ is next, another gem of a song. The album ends with ‘Higher’ and ‘Close To You.’ This is a tale of two albums. Rihanna the pop star, and Rihanna the alternative artist. I was surprised by this album, or at least by half of it. I’m glad that my preconceptions were smashed.
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