Rihanna - Unapologetic (album)

Rihanna is barely a human being. Unapologetic marks the stars 7^th official studio album, more than Christina Aguilera and tying with Britney Spears. Funnily enough it's also her fourth consecutive annual album release for the month of November, with Talk That Talk, Loud and Rated R preceding Unapologetic in 2011, 2010 and 2009 respectively. Although Rihanna may churn out albums faster than the Pussycat Dolls turnover rate, this is her only LP that actually feels rushed, with little thought gone into various aspects of the album.

'Phresh of the Runway' produced by pop and R&B mastermind The-Dream contains his killah signature but is in fact a slightly weak and redundant opener. Third track 'Numb' featuring Eminem is almost too ironic as it is in fact mind-numbingly repetitive. As Rihanna makes her way through the album, flirting with various musical styles including pop ballads ('What Now', 'Stay'), dubstep and dance ('Jump' and 'Right Now'), and 80s synth ('Love Without Loss') it is on the contemporary R&B styles and reggae fusion track 'No Love Allowed' in which the star truly shines. 

It's best to steer completely clear of 'Nobody’s Business' a throwback collaboration with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown (sample lyric: "You’ll always be mine, sing it to the world, always be my boy, always be your girl"), as the two lament the past claiming that it is in fact nobody business. The problem with this is the fact that the two choose to make their relationship everyone's business by writing and singing about it.

The album features heavier twinges of R&B than Rihanna's recent records have. But as previously stated, the album ultimately feels hurried and to be completely honest, lazy in its production and lyrical content.

C

Key Tracks: Diamonds, Love Without Loss/Mother Mary, No Love Allowed

P!nk- The Truth About Love

P!nk, one of the highest selling female artists in the world is also usually one of the most underrated and sometimes forgotten. In a world of Nicki Minaj’s, Rihanna’s and Katy Perry’s, P!nk (real name Alicia Moore) has proven herself to be substance over style, time and time again. Most recently with her latest album 'The Truth About Love'.

Influenced by the birth of her first daughter Willow, as well as the split and reconciliation of husband Carey Hart, over 13 tracks (17 if you have the deluxe edition) P!nk details, well…the truth about love, enlisting frequent production collaborators Billy Mann and Max Martin, along with newer ones, such as Eminem, Lily Rose Cooper (formally Allen) and Nate Ruess of band ‘fun.’.

The sound of the album is the P!nk we are all already so accustomed to: loud, guitar driven, fist pumping pop that’s upbeat in sound, with a little bit of ‘f*ck you’ thrown in for good measure. Sadly, it doesn’t always work, as a number of the songs turn out to be filler for what should be a great album. Take out some of the harsher lyrics and ‘Walk of Shame’, ‘My Signature Move’ and ‘Here Comes The Weekend’ could easily be cuts from any Glee compilation album. Not really too fitting for someone people often refer to as one of the leading bad girls in pop music.

However, there are some beautiful highlights on 'The Truth About Love'. The instrumental on opening track “All We Are” wouldn’t sound out of place on Kanye West‘s 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy', and second single ‘Try’ is a wonderfully written un-cringeworthy ballad. Another one of the albums strongest points happen towards the end, as Moore “basks in the afterglow” of an old lover on ‘Where Did The Beat Go’, as she ponders what’s happened to the love she and her companion used to share.

Altogether, The Truth About Love starts off strong and begins to falter, ultimately finding its strength towards it's climax. The ultimate strength in this case being P!nk’s voice: one that most popular artists today can't exactly claim as their best asset themselves.

B-

Key tracks: All We Are, Where Did The Beat Go?, The Great Escape