Notes & Personnel Info |  | The music of Barbados-born singer Rihanna--a breezy blend of hip-hop, commercial pop, and Caribbean flavors--made her a bona fide superstar before the age of 20. Given her immediate success, one had to wonder if Rihanna would be a flash in the pan, but her third album, 2007's GOOD GIRL GONE BAD, is a winner. Interestingly, Rihanna avoids the Caribbean tinge that made her breakthrough single "Pon the Replay" a massive hit, sticking instead to more straightforward dance-pop designed for the club and the singles charts. More interesting still, she pulls it off with assurance and skill. | | It doesn't hurt that heavyweight producers such as Timbaland (who contributes several tracks to GOOD GIRL) are on board, or that Rihanna is backed by the Def Jam empire. In fact, Def Jam president Jay-Z appears on the album's lead single, "Umbrella," an irresistible, stomping dance anthem that does exactly what a single should. Another highlight is "Shut Up and Drive," which works a powerful groove based around a sample of New Order's "Blue Monday." There are notably fewer ballads here than on Rihanna's sophomore effort, which is a welcome change, and makes the album more focused, energized, and danceable front to back. | | Although it was released in June of 2007, Rihanna's GOOD GIRL GONE BAD refused to quit well into the summer of 2008, lingering on the Billboard charts and sending up single after single, including "Umbrella," "Shut Up and Drive," "Hate That I Love You," and "Don't Stop the Music." The RELOADED edition of the album contains three bonus tracks: Rihanna's #1 single "Take a Bow," "Disturbia," and a cover of Maroon 5's "If I Never See Your Face Again" (which she performs with Maroon 5 itself). The limited edition disc also comes with a DVD of behind-the-scenes footage. | | Pop sensation Rihanna has gotten no small mileage out of her multi-platinum 2007 release, GOOD GIRL GONE BAD. With its smash singles "Umbrella," "Disturbia," "Shut Up and Drive," and others, and its supplemental release, 2008's GOOD GIRL GONE BAD: RELOADED, featuring three new songs, Rihanna's sophomore release has legs like few other releases. That trend continues with GOOD GIRL GONE BAD: THE REMIXES, which has top-shelf producers like Tony Moran, Jody Den Broeder, Wideboys, and Seamus Haji giving driving, club-oriented treatments to the album's tracks. Rather than seeming like overkill, the remixes highlight the catchy, groove-driven appeal of Rihanna's tunes, making for the perfect party album. | | When you've released a pair of albums containing a few monster singles and a considerable amount of unsteady, unassured material, why mess around the third time out? From beginning to end, Good Girl Gone Bad is as pop as pop gets in 2007, each one of its 12 songs a potential hit in some territory. Unlike Music of the Sun or A Girl Like Me, neither Caribbean flavorings nor ballad ODs are part of the script, and there isn't an attempt to make something as theatrical as "Unfaithful." There is, however, another '80s hit involved: just as "SOS" appropriated Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love," "Shut Up and Drive" turns New Order's "Blue Monday" into a sleek, forthcoming proposition, one that is as undeniable and rocking as Sugababes' 2002 U.K. smash "Freak Like Me" (a cover of Adina Howard's 1995 hit that swiped from another '80s single, Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric?"). "Shut Up and Drive" is part of an all-upbeat opening sequence that carries through five songs. Rihanna knows exactly what she wants and is in total control at all times, even when she's throwing things and proclaiming "I'm a fight a man" amid marching percussion and synthesizers set on "scare" during "Breakin' Dishes." The album's lead song and lead single, "Umbrella," is her best to date, delivering mammoth if spacious drums, a towering backdrop during the chorus, and vocals that are somehow totally convincing without sounding all that impassioned -- an ideal spot between trying too hard and boredom, like she might've been on her 20th take, which only adds to the song's charm. The album's second half is relatively varied and a little heavier on acoustic guitar use, but it's not lacking additional standouts. Three consecutive Timbaland productions, including one suited for a black college marching band and another that effectively pulls the romantically codependent heartstrings, enhance the album rather than make it more scattered. ~ Andy Kellman |
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