Finally, the most anticipated album is here. After basically years and delays, with not even an official release date, we have finally been given a look at what Rihanna has been hinting at this whole time. If you’ve ever wanted to give RiRi a chance, this is your opportunity to jump onto the bandwagon. ANTI is so cool, vocally powerful like you’ve never heard before, lyrically well structured and special in a whole lot of different ways. I also believe that ANTI reveals, musically, the true Rihanna, as she leaves behind the Pop soundtracks.

One thing that stands out the most about ANTI, is the absence of her big releases in 2015. Both Bitch Better Have My Money and her Kanye and Paul McCartney collab, FourFiveSeconds (as well as the lesser known American Oxygen) are noticeably missing, and considering how huge these songs were for her, they will just linger in the Rihanna catalogue with no home for now. But, that’s the power of Rihanna and what she is trying to do with ANTI.

The extra time spent on this album is definitely a blessing for her, because the album is very rich and full of soul. It’s not supposed to be an album of hits, but rather a solid masterpiece, meant for experiencing as a whole. Sound wise, she is taking a more Alternative approach and adding that twist into a still very Urban album. When compared to the albums before, she avoids all things Pop and Dance. The style in ANTI is beyond chart topping, and a bit more underground. Then there’s her voice. It is nothing like we have ever heard from her before. It reaches heights I never thought RiRi was capable of.

Consideration starts the album for us with the lyrics ‘I got to do things my own way, darling.’ With a distorted sound in the music, she is warning us for what is to come, explaining how she just wants to grow. If you follow her on Instagram, you’ll see who the real Rihanna is, and now she is putting that in her music. This is the most evident in the short but sweet James Joint with the opening lyrics, ‘I’d rather be smoking weed whenever we breathe.’

Kiss It Better is one of my favourites, but that is because I am a sucker for 80’s sounding slow jams. This has Price written all over it, and I can imagine it now; a video with Rihanna in a leotard, ankle warmers and a Jheri curl.

Work is what we have heard on the radio, so far. It’s a back-to-the-roots hit which features Drake. Her vocal style in the way she belts out ‘work, work, work, work, work, work,’ sounds like mumbling and borderline intoxicated, but it works (no pun intended) here. It’s very reggae-ish. It’s not as profound as their hits Take Care and What’s My Name?, but definitely has a similar soft tone to it.

Desperado sounds like it could have come straight out of a Tarantino movie, while Woo sounds as though something touched by Kanye West. It has his vibe and sound all over it. Both tracks are intriguing pieces of work.

Needed Me is a DJ Mustard produced slow Hip-Hop tune, which intertwines well with the theme of the album so far; probably something a little mellower for DJ Mustard. It’s more psychedelic. I start to notice here how tasteful the use of swearing is throughout this album.

Yeah, I Said It is a sex-crazed themed song which only Rihanna is capable of doing. ‘I want you to homicide it,’ is brilliant. Only since Madonna has a popular artist been able to talk about sex as a very natural thing. Timbaland lends his veteran skills on this one. Usually you can tell when Timbaland puts his hands on something. He has a distinct sound, but since his work with the hit TV show, Empire, he has changed with the times, but still has undertones of his uniqueness.

Imagine a star as big as Rihanna asking for your permission to cover your song and you’re a little less known artist from another country? That’s what happened with Same Ol’ Mistakes. The Psych-Rock track is Australia’s very own Tame Impala’s 2015 release, Same Person, Same Ol’ Mistakes. If I were Tame Impala, I would be bragging a heck load about this. Rihanna loved the track and had asked Kevin Parker, who honourably allowed Rihanna to borrow their hit for her to cover, and she undoubtedly owns it.

Never Ending has a very folky sound to it. It’s a vulnerable tune that cries, ‘it doesn’t have to feel so strange, to be in love again.’ You wouldn’t imagine Rihanna to take this sort of approach and never have we heard her do anything such as this.

I am in love with Love on the Brain. The Doo-Wop track even appears to have a different artist singing to it, but in fact, it’s Rihanna taking on a different persona and changing her vocals. It is stunning.

It’s two minutes, but Higher is another one I (and allow me to describe it in modern fan-girl language) can’t, even. Again, it takes you back to the 50’s, but the best thing about this song is her voice. It’s full, thick and raspy. She belts it out in husky sexiness and I cannot resist.

The album finally breaks down with the sweet piano playing Close To You, but goes straight into Goodnight Gotham (in the Deluxe version) which isn’t so much a song, but a haunting masterpiece, which features the helping hand from the just has haunting and captivating Florence Welch.

Pose is Rihanna’s opportunity to finally have some fun and Trap it up. With most sentences ending with ‘bitch,’ it is catchy. This means people will be singing along to this one in the club, loud. Nevertheless, ANTI ends with Sex with Me which is another sexy Hip-Hop song.

I think ANTI let’s us see Rihanna at her absolute best and her absolute self. She has reached her every potential with this album, and it’s taking the top spot for me as the album of the year so far. I am so happy that artist such as, Rihanna are steering away from the Pop crap and try-hard Dance stuff, and giving people something a little more personal, artful and interesting to listen to.

Rihanna’s ANTI deserves a 5 out of 5 for the risk, the change and the time. I don’t think it will be every bodies cup of tea, especially those who are used to a more Pop Rihanna, but if you are going to give it a go, open your ears, heart and mind.

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