Serious question. It is Rihanna's most acclaimed album so far, and it got zero nominations in the Grammy Awards. Not even any singles of the album got nominated. Why?
How did Teenage Dream get into Album of the Year with a 52 score, but Rated R with 75 couldn't?
Because it lost a ton of buzz by that time and she moved on to Loud material. And Rated R wasn't getting an AOTY nomination if it couldn't get into Pop Vocal Album.
A complex and fascinating portrait of a young woman's emotional process after enduring abuse.
The Boston Phoenix
88
Quote:
Throughout this emotional maelstrom of an R&B album, Rihanna keeps finding gripping new ways to transform regret into a kind of threat.
New Musical Express (NME)
80
Quote:
Despite the abundance of male influence on the record, from ex-boyfriend to songwriters to producers to mentors, Rihanna makes the sound her own, and fights back.
Rolling Stone
80
Quote:
Rihanna has transformed her sound and made one of the best pop records of the year.
The New York Times
80
Quote:
It's a bleak, adamant album that's both brave and skillful.