Before I actually listened to Rihanna’s new album Anti, I did something stupid: I read a few opinion pieces. The main idea from these articles was simple — that it sucked. As a huge Rihanna fan, I kind of really wanted to like it and prove them wrong. I even came up with a cool title for the Rihanna article: “Anything but Anti-Rihanna.” Unfortunately, that is not how I felt after having listened to it.
“Consideration” started out considerably well. Maybe it’s because I’m obsessed with SZA, the featured artist, but still — it’s a cool track. It has a really smooth beat and the lyrics are understandable, which is a giant plus. Even though it’s not necessarily a song that I would play super loudly in my car and sing along to, it’s a more relaxed tune that I would, well, relax to.
James Joint, the next track on the thirteen-song album was, well, meh. It doesn’t even sound like Rihanna. The only reason it would still have a place on my iTunes library is because of its killer beat. This is the only song that I could see being a single. It is definitely catchy, but not in a loud and obnoxious way. It’s a song I would cruise to, bobbing my head up and down.
The next track on the album is actually its only single — “Work.” Honestly, I didn’t really like it that much. Rihanna sounds super weird — plus, only half of the time could I actually make out what she was trying to say. Does she even know what she was trying to say? The only good part of this song is when Drake sings, but that is unfortunately very limited.
Right when I thought the album could not get any worse, it did. The last songs were extremely underwhelming. The album as a whole was weak and passionless in terms of lyrics and singing. The only really good thing about the whole album is actually just the beats. Considering she was working with producers like DJ Mustard, Timbaland, and Travi$ Scott, I’m not surprised in the slightest. These musical geniuses did what they could to salvage the mistakes made by the executive producer — Rihanna, herself.
The entire time I felt myself wanting the songs to pass by quicker because I simply did not want to hear them. I genuinely am appalled and very, very confused as to how Anti hit the number one spot on four different charts — the US Billboard 200, the US Billboards for R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, the Canadian Albums Charts and the Official Charts Company (UK).
I am extremely disappointed in this album and in Rihanna.
