‘Love On The Brain’
Oh yes, on the subject of Anti being unusual – here’s Rihanna’s ‘50s doowop-inspired ballad, ‘Love On The Brain’. It’s totally brilliant, with the singer showcasing the kind of vocals we’ve not heard from her before, oscillating between her trademark snarl, Mariah Carey high notes and soaring Beyonce-style vocal acrobatics. It’s like three performances in one. The rolling organ and romantic string arrangements are offset by the dark-as-**** lyrics, which seem to be Rihanna’s ode to a violent lover (which of course make you think of her being assaulted by Chris brown in 2009): “It beats me black and blue but it ****s me so good / Must be love on the brain.” Essentially this is The Crystals' ‘He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)’ for 2016.
This song is going to be...interesting to see live
