The mood of Rihanna’s Unapologetic is just that, unapologetic. Its atmosphere is much like 2007’s Good Girl Gone Bad, bent on making an unabashed statement to the world of who Rihanna is as an artist, and as a person. Perhaps the most ferocious of all of her projects, Unapologetic is a compelling pop potion that manages to be introspective and alluring at the same time.
The opener, “Phresh Out The Runway,” is a cocktail of sonic vibes and scintillating entertainment. Simply put – ‘Phresh’ is avant-garde pop that blares through your speakers. It gives a feeling of watching a fashion show with Rihanna delivering effective and cool energy. “Diamonds,” seeks to sparkle as the album’s first single, and was a decent choice given the fiery pop cuisine offered here that sought to define Rihanna as a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Where Unapologetic shines the most however, is when Rihanna delves into zones that she has not ventured into before, or areas where she is defiant, giving a middle finger to critics of her choice. This is evident on “Pour It Up,” which one could argue is a cut above the fray featured here because of its sheer “go hard” vanity and “Nobody’s Business,” which features Chris Brown, a slickly produced sassy contribution.
Unapologetic varies in its musical output going from the Middle East with the “Love The Way You Lie” part deux of “Numb” which features a cameo from her cohort, Eminem; to “No Love Allowed,” which feels like a remnant from “Where Have You Been,” that was featured on 2011’s Talk That Talk; or “Jump,” a piece of dub step candy that is worth tasting but not eating because of its over use of Ginuwine’s 1996 hit “Pony.”
Unapologetic manages to achieve its purpose – presenting a labyrinth of club bangers, mid-tempo ballads and slow grind anthems but the collage of sounds makes it difficult to predict whether it will compete with much of what Rihanna has shown pop fans already.
Unapologetic receives a PAR
Rating:
P…Horrible
PA…Tolerable
PAR…Good
PARL…Kinda Great
PARLÉ… Classic
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