Good Girl's Music Gone Good (Good Girl Gone Bad - Rihanna)

Member Name: Sunrisesunset

Product:	Good Girl Gone Bad - Rihanna
Date:	17/08/09 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: almost every song is great, many msuic genres

Disadvantages: two or three songs fall flat

Third time lucky? Luckily for Rihanna, yes it was.

After the luke-warm reception to Rihanna's first album Music of the Sun, followed by the better received A Girl Like Me, Rihanna and her Def Jam record label finally got it right. Good Girl Gone Bad was born, and its numerous singles took the world by storm.

Of course great singles are no guarantee that you'll be buying a great album, so how does the entire album stack up?

Vocals: Some say her 'unique' voice is down to her Bajan accent while others like myself feel the woman's voice is simply average. Her voice is like Marmite- you either love it or hate it. Her vocals sound worse on uptempo tracks because she is not pushing her singing abilities beyond where she's capable of going, but slower tracks do not suit her at all.

Lyrics: Most of the album's lyrics will not resonate with you, but most of today's music does the same. Do not expect thought provoking and spiritually moving words because many of the songs feature 'catchy' phrases that stick in the listener's head on their first listen. The deepest songs on the album are Hate That I Love You, Good Girl Gone Bad and Rehab. HTLY is a duet featuring the talented r'n'b singer Ne-yo, who has written popular songs such as So Sick and Irreplaceable. The song is about a couple who want to stop loving each other but can't. GGGB is about a woman who was mistreated by her lover, and now her pain has transformed her into a different, stronger person. Rehab is another song about a woman who is being mistreated by her lover, so now she needs rehab because he is like a 'disease', a dangerous condition she needs to be cured of.

Music: The best part of this album is the variety of music. If you want fast songs you have tracks like Don't Stop the Music, or go with a slower vibe like Say It. If you prefer r'n'b you have Umbrella while pop lovers have Push Up On Me. Just ended a relationship? Try Breakin' Dishes. Jus started a relationship? Try Sell Me Candy. At least one song is sure to draw you in and cater to your needs.

Stand out tracks: Umbrella, Sell Me Candy and Don't Stop the Music

Overall, the album is very good and now one of my favourites. I am not a Rihanna fan at all, but was shocked to discover the quality of this record. Her loyal fans would beg to differ, but her vocals have not improved since she first arrived on the scene. The main difference is that now the music takes centre stage, which stops her singing abilities from putting off as many people.

If you want an album that has songs for every occasion, features music from almost every genre, and blends deep and shallow, catchy lyrics together then this record is for you. If you are looking for a singer whose voice blows you away as she delivers deeply moving lyrics then you need to look elsewhere.

Summary: Finally Rihanna's label gets her good material and it pays off.