Rihanna
Anti (Universal Music)
Breakdown: It feels like we’ve been waiting for ages for Rihanna to release her eighth studio album, Anti, and I was just as shocked as everyone when she released the album as a free download on the 28th of January on streaming service TIDAL. The album was given away 1 million times and has since shot up to the top of the Billboard 200 Album Chart. The lead single, Work, featuring Drake also topped the charts in many countries around the world proving that Rihanna had, indeed, been missed.
How Many Good Tracks: 7 of the 13.
What I Liked: There is a reason Rihanna is a champion at her craft. The singer has improved dramatically vocally. She sounds better than she has ever before and the growth is a beautiful thing to see. Rihanna is at the point of her career where she can do whatever she wants and this time around, she wanted an urban album that is completely different from her previous material. There are some great urban tracks on the record but it’s a record that will leave her fans disappointed.
What I Didn’t Like: While I appreciate Rihanna’s decision to release an album she loves, the truth of the matter is that there are hardly any hits on this record. There are pop-influnced tracks like ‘Kiss It Better’ and even ‘Consideration’, but for the most part, this isn’t the album many were expecting. It’s a messy album filled with a variety of genres and a lack of direction. Rihanna has reportedly been working on this album for over a year and, unfortunately, the material seems rushed and untidy. While this isn’t a bad record, I expected a whole lot more from a singer of her calibre.
Best Track: Kiss It Better
Rating: 2.5/5
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