Customer Reviews

Rated R [Explicit]

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

With all the negative reviews prior to release, I was expecting to be seriously disappointed. Yes, the album is dark, and rightfully so. As most artists do, Rihanna pulled her life/experiences into this album, as clearly referenced in, among other songs, "Cold Case Love." During my first listen through, I caught myself rocking out to several tracks like "Hard," "Rockstar 101," and "Rude Boy." Rihanna still keeps it sexy and even ventures on the edge of 'curiosity' with the rejection filled track "Te Amo". If your a Rihanna fan, you'll probally still love a few to several tracks on this one. Buy the whole album and find out which ones you love! I definetly recommend getting the EXPLICIT version, otherwise you'll probably be left with a ton of dubbing. Plus, you won't really be getting the true and full vision Rihanna created with this album.

To be honest, I was really disappointed when I saw Rihanna debuting her first couple of singles on various awards shows, and I was worried her latest album would be a disappointment, especially after her excellent last album. I got it on sale on Amazon because it was just too cheap to pass on, but I've found myself loving it more and more with each listen. Whew! It's not quite as dance club friendly as the last album, but it is very well done, and there's a heart and soul here that wasn't quite as prevalent in previous efforts. She's come a long way since Pon De Replay!

Rihanna's latest album finds herself again wandering into a slightly different style of music and emotion. While no doubt some of the songs on the album are a bit angrier and edgier, her music hasn't really depreciated greatly. It is great to see her take new directions in her music and not leave us with the same stale stuff. That said, you can't blame a girl for saying how she feels and I applaud it. Those who can't handle Rihanna's anger and are offended by a few curse words here and there should stick to listening to the radio friendly singles (try Photographs and Russian Roulette) and skip the rest of the album this time around.

Best tracks: Hard, Wait Your Turn, Russian Roulette, Rude Boy, Photographs

I THINK THIS IS HER ABSOLUTE BEST ALBUM EVER. I LOVE EVERY SINGLE TRACK ON HERE EXCEPT PHOTOGRAPHS AND I AM NOT EASILY IMPRESSED WITH MUSIC SO ITS HARD TO MAKE ME LIKE SOMETHING. I HATED THIS GIRL FOR THE LONGEST HER VOICE WAS ANNOYING BUT NOW IT HAS GROWN ON ME. WHEN SHE SINGS LIVE SHE DOESNT DO THAT BAD EVEN THOUGH SHE DOESNT DO THAT GREAT SHE HAS A UNIQUE VOICE THAT IS YAY OR NAY FOR MANY PEOPLE ITS NOT LIKE CELINE, WHITNEY, MARIAH, LEONA LEWIS, ETC. THIS CD FITS HER PERSONALITY SO WELL. THE MUSIC IS A BIT ON THE GROUND FOLKS SIDE THOUGH. THE SONGS ARE SO GOOD TO LISTEN TO ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR ANGRY OR SAD. MY FAVORITE SONGS ARE "MAD HOUSE", "THE LAST SONG", "COLD CASE LOVE", "RUDE BOY", "STUPID IN LOVE", "G4L", "FIREBOMB". SHE COULDVE MADE A SINGLE/VIDEO FOR EVERY TRACK ON THIS CD. THERE WERE REALLY NO FILLERS ON HERE.

I enjoyed Rhianna's two top hits "Pon De Replay" and "Rehab" but balked at buying all of her stuff. I thought she was too "pop" for me.
Then, Twitter exploded with her controversial new release "Russian Roulette". I was stunned when I heard that song. It shook me right to the core and nothing she'd put out gave an inkling of that kind of power. That song spurred me to put "Rated R" on my To Be Bought list. Amazon's five dollar offer cinched it and I snapped up the download, buying the entire album and expecting to like one or two of the songs.
Instead, I love almost all of them and listen to it all the time. "Russian Roulette" is one of my favorites, depicting an abusive merry go round that those who've seen it can relate to well. "Stupid In Love" is fantastic and heartfelt. "Cold Case Of Love" is my all time favorite song to listen to from "Rated R". All of the songs from "Rude Boy" to "Photographs" is disturbingly moving.
Certainly this is no selection of songs for someone who wants to just tap their foot and relax. It's edgy, it's tense, it's surprising. In my opinion, it's the best thing I've heard in a while.

I'm usually not a big Rihanna fan,and quite frankly she's been more popular with 12 y.o. then the college crowd. But she keeps making the hits and like Miley Cyrus, has proven to be quite sustainable and sometimes enjoyable. I liked SOS when it came out when i was in high school, and i thought umbrella and don't stop the music were somewhat enjoyable tracks. I was awaiting this album, because let's face it. Behind Britney and Beyonce,she's probably the highest ranking pop star of the past few years. I knew that she would probably do the Madonna and Britney route and try to do a S&M,dark theme type album and boy was i right. I actually really enjoyed this cd all the way through. I thought that she's improved as a singer and quite frankly just won me over as a fan. I thought Russian Roulette was a chilling ballad, love the vocal work.Wait your Turn was a bangin way to open up an album. Rock Star 101 was a awesome and enjoyable track as well. I was surprised at how catchy G4L was! I assumed it would just be filler, but towards the end of the album it got more enjoyable for me.Te Amo was a beautifully written track and wasn't as cliche as i thought it was going to be. Hard the second single from the album,was my least favorite track but it was catchy and it could be a hit.This album def. won me over as a fan. It's a shame it wont be as big as her last album,due to all the new releases coming out this week! This album is a most have! She's got a harder edge and left all that kiddie stuff behind Really matured as a artist.

Go get your copy. If you are a real music lover and prefer songs that are deep with meaning, you will love this album. Trust me, I am the harderst person to impress when it comes to music. And, I never took Rihanna seriously with all the bubble gum crap she use to put out. But, with this album, she has proving herself as a real artist, not just a singles artist. There is no way in the world she can not get a grammy for this album.

I was waiting for this album ever since her "dissapearance" and her last album was so good so I really thought there was no way she could follow this up....wow let's just say this is not like "A Girl Like Me" this is definitely a much darker side of Rihanna...she talks about her problems with love (probably Chris Brown?) her stupidity...how she's a rockstar....she's cursing all over this one (at least for her bubbly standards) I am just very impressed....apart from the 2 singles...the other great tracks are....Hard, Stupid In Love, Rockstar 101, Rude Boy and Photographs...the whole album is actually very good...much different side and of course I expected Amazon to have this for $3.99 and OF COURSE they do! Gotta Love Amazon MP3....giving iTunes a run for it's money

This album is dark and it grooves from start to finish. Prior to this release, her music had only hinted at the deep undercurrent of violent emotions existing beneath a composed surface. Here, however, the shadowy depths are fully realized. The only reason it isn't getting 5 stars from me is because of the track or two which failed to hold my attention. Still, if you're looking for an artist taking a turn in the right direction, then this should fit that need quite nicely.

I've never been a Rihanna fan until I bought this album. The main reason this album is so great is because it has personality. Her other albums were all over the place and she didn't really write any of the music. This one is focused and has a cool Goth R'n'B vibe. She can't sing umbrella forever she's growing up and going through her 20's. I recommend this album and I really don't like top 40 music. Don't waste your time with the edited version. Explicit is the way to go. Every song is very good. My personal favorites are the more Explicit songs like G4L and Rock star 101. They're more grown up and they are just kick ass songs I never expected from her.