Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna

I hadn't heard much about Carribbean hottie Rihanna until one of her bigger hits "SOS" started making waves in the US in 2006. Though I thought the single was somewhat catchy, but a bit too repetetive for my tastes, her nasally vocal delivery made me cringe and I couldn't get past that annoying quality in her singing. Being a person who doesn't really listen to radio these days, I just so happened to hear she had a huge hit single on her hands in 2007 called "Umbrella" so I decided to check it out to see just what made the darn song so catchy. The first time I heard it, I thought it was just a mediocre R&B dance track with little to offer (the infamous "ella ella ella ey ey" part was the least satisfying part of it for me at first); but with subsequent listens it sounded better and better. Soon I started playing it repeatedly on my iPod and noticing I was grooving to the beat so I decided to get the album. Even though Good Girl is far from perfect, its good outweighs its low moments. Opener and lead international smash "Umbrella" is, undoubtedly, the highlight here--everything about it, from its beat to Rihanna's refreshingly bubbly delivery--make this track a sure feel good single, worthy of the praise it has received since its release onto the charts. "Please Don't Stop the Music" is another memorable tune, more disco and dance than R&B and Hip Hop. "Breakin' Dishes" is lyrically jarring as it references a woman discovering her man done did her wrong and how angry it has made her. Ballads have never been one of Rihanna's strong points ("Unfaithful" was a beautiful, almost tragic R&B ballad which showcased her oft-questionable singing skills quite brilliantly), but the two real ones presented on Good Girl are quite listenable: closing and title track "Good Girl" is decent and presents a good message to all those cheaters out there, but it is the smoky "Rehab", not to be confused with the brilliant Amy Winehouse song, that stands out here as the better song. "Lemme Get That" sets the mood for the Carribbean flavor Rihanna presented in her debut single, the annoyingly likable "Pon de Replay", and features a hilarious chorus lyric over the top of its addictive island Hip Hop beat: "Got a house but I need new furniture/But why spend mine when I can spend yers?" Rihanna may not have made a perfect listen, but Good Girl is certainly her best album to date and worthy of its success.

*Some of my music has been released onto iTunes! Check it out!