Unapologetic-Rihanna

    Nearly four years ago, Rihanna became embattled in a grandiose abuse scandal with former flame Chris Brown that divided opinions and left many questioning whether or not she could salvage her career from the smoldering wreckage. She then released the predictably dark Rated R, which was quickly followed up with 2010's 6x platinum-selling Loud, announcing her comeback in full force. Rihanna released the slightly disappointing Talk That Talk last November, and she returns a year later to gift us with her seventh and most recent album, Unapologetic. The newest disc from the Barbados-born artist is a mixed bag at best, with one especially noteworthy and controversial exception.

    Rather than running from the Chris Brown saga for all of eternity, she faces it literally head on with "Nobody's Business", which sees the temptress duet with the man who once brought her so much public humiliation. Not only is it ripe with a juicy back story, but it's also quite good; the driving club beat and piano make it extremely dance friendly and the song is excellently produced. The lyrics "Ain't nobody's business/just mine and my baby," really highlights what the on and off couple was wanting all along: a chance to heal and gain closure away from the spotlight. It seems they have not only done that, but have grown closer in the process. Quite honestly, it's some of the most revealing and refreshing material she has released in years. They obviously enjoyed making this track with one another, as you can hear almost instantly the chemistry the two of them possess. I would call it an electricity, if you will.

    The rest of the material could have used the same energy.

    Lead single "Diamonds" is a poor retread of a style she has done with more flair and bombast in the past and is dull in comparison to most of the singles in her back catalog. It just sounds unfinished to me. Most derivative of all is "Jump", which sees Rihanna murder the Genuine hit "Ride My Pony" via dubstep assault. Staying within the realm of dubstep/pop fusion is the slightly better "Right Now", which features current media sensation David Guetta. Rihanna continues to play it safe on R&B dud "Loveeeee Song", an undercooked and underwhelming track that could have used more time in the oven. Perhaps worst of all is "Stay", a tepid ballad that is an utter snore fest. Simply put, Unapologetic contains an inexcusable amount of filler, even for an album with 14 songs. It's never a good thing if half of your album sounds like a demo, especially when it isn't due to poor production values, but rather the sound of an artist casually resting on her laurels, continually relying on regurgitated ideas and mismatched genres to haphazardly patch together an album.

    However, there are a few other bright spots to be found, although they are too few and far between. Opener "Phresh Out the Runway" is an electronic spasm of a song, as the instrumentation borrows heavily from Crystal Castles. It's an interesting sound for her, to say the least. One can feel Rihanna claw back to her reggae roots on "No Love Allowed", a pleasant surprise for longtime fans. It's on these tracks where she breaks free of the mold she has now established for herself and generates some of her best work.

    If this is your first introduction to Rihanna, Unapologetic will ultimately fail to resonate with you. It sounds almost hollow at times, like it's missing that extra little something, that tangible spark. Lets hope she finds it again, and quickly.

6.2/10