Now sexed-up and dancefloor-bound, this version of Rihanna is less taxing to listen to than the broody, troubled RiRi of the Rated R era. Which isn’t to say that Loud is an altogether more successful record. Where Rated R had an enjoyably sinister “edge”, Loud strains to go out of its way to make you want to dance on the table of your local pub while drunkenly bellowing along to Only Girl (In The World), like a loon. Of late the Barbadian singer has produced some gloriously dark nuggets of pop brilliance; Love The Way You Lie Part 1 being perhaps the best of them. These days references to domestic violence seem to be part of the language of chart pop, so much so that Matt Cardle can capitalize on his X Factor win by releasing a cover of Biffy Clyro’s Many Of Horror (lyrics like “when you hit me, you hit me hard” are not typically the stuff Christmas number ones are made of). Rihanna helped pave the way to this rather odd state of affairs. Here we get a slight return to that grim sentiment, but like Alicia Key’s solo version of Empire State Of Mind, it’s difficult to shake off the feeling that Loud’s Love The Way You Lie Part 2 is The Boring Version of the song. Perversely, it is something of a relief when the pathological character portrayed by Eminem pops up in the second half of the track; you’ll thank heaven that at last something has arrived to break up the song’s otherwise unremitting blandness. The dance tracks on Loud on the other hand do work wonders. Scandinavian producers StarGate forge some of Rihanna’s best singles to date in the form of Only Girl… and What’s My Name, and Nicki Minaj adds her not inconsiderable talent to Raining Men. So by making music to make you move your feet, Rihanna gains something, but she loses something too; making Loud something of a qualified success.
See also: Britney Spears – Blackout [Jive], Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster [Interscope]
Words: Ciaran Gaynor
