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Member Since: 2/6/2012
Posts: 18,398
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"Unapologetic" dragged by Florida newspaper
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What do you get when you combine the industry’s best songwriters and the highest paid producers in the business with a powerful voice and a sexy physique? Not much, apparently. Monetarily, I’m sure there’s a lot to be made on Unapologetic, Rihanna’s seventh studio release, but as far as quality is concerned, a project this big has rarely felt so disjointed and unnecessary.
The album has no theme, no consistency and most unfortunate, no purpose. At a certain point, an artist just needs to go on hiatus and clear their mind—get off cruise control. I think Rihanna is at that point. Right off the bat, I want to clarify: Rihanna is undeniably talented. Her voice isn’t a powerhouse by any means, but what she lacks in vocals she makes up for with versatility. Put her on an R&B ballad with Ne-Yo or line her up next to Coldplay; if you’re an artist looking for a hit record, she’s the one to talk to. The problem with her music isn’t the artist herself, but rather the fact that she doesn’t really do much herself anymore.
There was a point back in the Rated R days that Rihanna sounded like she was making music because she wanted to. On that particular album, released just months from her incident with Chris Brown (who offensively appears as a guest feature on Unapologetic), she sounded like an artist who had something to say. She sounded like she was in charge. It’s easy to forget over the years, but the album took musical risks atypical of her career at the time (“Hard” was far from “Pon De Replay”). Listening to Unapologetic, I get the impression these records were pre-made for her on tour.
Maybe she’d spend an hour or two memorizing someone else’s demo track between cities, hit the on-bus studio and churn out a track every week between lighting a blunt and giving Chris Brown private lap dances (video to hit the Internet soon, I’m sure).
This is soulless music with no edge—a half-assed release purely for the sake of adding a few more dollars to the record executives in charge. That being said, it does have some bright moments.
“Right Now” sounds like your typical David Guetta track, and is one of the more enjoyable dub collaborations I’ve heard over the last few months. The same can be said of “Jump,” a remix (sequel?) to Ginuwine’s early 2000s classic sex jam “Pony.”
The song pales in comparison to Gin’s version, but then again, most pop music does; the song has stood the test of time for a reason.
“Diamonds” is solid as well, but anyone who listened to the radio in the last two months already knows that. Beyond these three tracks, I’d have a hard time recommending any of the album’s other 11 songs. The fact that Future makes a guest appearance says wonders of the quality control. Come on, Eminem and Future on the same album?
I wouldn’t call Unapologetic a letdown; my expectations weren’t nearly high enough for that. What I will say is this: if you’re looking for a prime example of label-manufactured music catered to the radio, here it is. Pitbull’s Global Warming almost seems experimental in comparison.
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Source: http://www.fsunews.com/article/20121...ic-about-album
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