Rihanna's 'Loud' Packs a Peppy, Poppy Punch

Drake serenades Rihanna on the island-flavored "What's My Name"

Anyone who has noticed Rihanna’s demeanor as of late can tell that the singer is back to business as usual.  Traipsing around the globe to promote her hit single “Only Girl in the World,” she seems happier than ever, the likes of which echoes throughout her satisfying new album Loud.  A follow-up to the commercially unsuccessful but artistically bold Rated R, the album is really quite good.  It is hard to call the disc excellent, what with the plentitude of quality music that has been floating around lately.  However, it nestles in a sizable notch above the rest of the Top-40 hits that populate the iTunes charts today.  On Loud, Rihanna returns fully rebooted and ready for a good time.

The fiery-haired chanteuse impresses, grows on Loud

The album kicks off strong with the saucy “S&M,” a slinky track that showcases Rihanna’s vocals to their fullest potential.  The chorus lashes out at unnamed opponents as Rihanna howls, “sticks and stone may break my bones / but chains and whips excite me.”  It is a catchy and refreshing return to form.  It most resembles her mega-smash hit “Disturbia,” with its shadowy undertones and clubby beats.  The carnal themes may prevent the song from getting radio airplay, but it is absolutely not to be ignored.

The next track is also one of Loud’s most brash and sultry.  On “What’s My Name,” Drake layers his trademark rasp on top of tropical sounding keyboards and synths, rapping “say my name, say my name / wear it out / it’s getting hot / crack a window air it out.”  His tongue-in-cheek references to his stalled relationship with the Barbadian singer serve as an appetizer to a wonderfully cocky song.  Here, Rihanna reigns in their shared world, showcasing her island flair on the cocky chorus, crooning “hey boy I really wanna be with you / ‘cause you’re just my type / oh na na na na.”  The video showcases the singer confidently strutting down New York City streets intertwined with charmingly goofy yet intimate moments with Drake.  What makes “Name” so interesting is its intricate layers of subtle steel drum upon haunting backing vocals, and

Rihanna wows on "Raining Men" with the help of Nicki Minaj

Unsurprisingly, Loud’s best song features a guest appearance by omnipresent rap goddess Nicki Minaj.  On “Raining Men,” which bears no resemblance to the disco hit of the same name, a throbbing drum reverberates while Rihanna borrows rhymes like “eenie meenie minie mo” to craft an ingeniously infectious song.  Minaj breathlessly storms in after the first chorus and walks away with the song.  In her far too brief appearance, the rapper rapidly hyperventilates about “want[ing] my own TV production company / so tell Harpo to hit me Celie,” a coy side-by-side reference to Oprah’s production company and her character in 1985’s The Color Purple.  The two also recorded a track for Minaj’s Pink Friday, which, if anything like the spastic but gloriously eccentric “Raining Men,’’ is something to be looked forward to.

Thankfully, Loud contains relatively few ballads, the songs in which Rihanna generally falls flat.  The pop dynamo actually succeeds with songs like “Man Down,” in which she actively exploits her gorgeous accent to style a Bob-Marley style jam.  It takes a few listens, but the song is sonically one of Loud’s best.  The honor of best-ballad goes hands down to “Love the Way You Lie (Part 2),” a collaboration that could have been an absolute train wreck but instead retains the grandeur of the original Eminem song while sprucing it up perfectly.  Here Rihanna sounds her most beautiful and raw, a lone piano paired with an ominous drumbeat accompanying the singer.  The track is one of the few that reins her in, a lovely tactic that only underscores the tortured theatricality of the song and excellently complements Eminem’s torrid, rage filled verse.

It is clear upon listening to Loud that Rihanna has learned and grown from her experiences that darkened Rated R.  The video for bumping bonus-track “Who’s That Chick” does a stellar side-by-side, one video swathed in bright lights and carnival-like colors, the other blanketed in a swirly darkness.  As demonstrated by the audience’s response to her “Ronnie and Clyde” digital short on Saturday Night Live, it’s clear to see that America prefers their “Riri” fun and Loud.