Rihanna “Music Of The Sun”

Rihanna “Music Of The Sun” Inpress Magazine Review, October 2005

Rihanna Music of the Sun
By Mawuse Ziegbe

With the first dancehall-light single “Pon De Replay” Rihanna seemed like Def Jam’s take on the ubiquitous pop princess only a bit more tanned and with a Caribbean accent. However, Ms. Rihanna is showing her formidable talent by infusing reggae rhythms with soulful beats. The 17 year-old Jay-Z protégé has offered a surprisingly mature and fun debut with the island-tinged, Music of the Sun.

The album opens with “Replay” and then slows it down with the sweetly melodic “Here I Go Again” featuring J-Status with Rihanna’s layered vocals flowing over the brooding dub bassline. Girlfriend convincingly croons about longing for that same boy who’s good at breaking hearts. She ambitiously takes on the reggae classic riddim from “No, No, No” on “You Don’t Love Me” with dancehall master Vybs Kartel, a signature riddim that most tend to slaughter in their attempts to ‘update’ it. Yet her sugary vocals blend well with the beat and even the ‘playas gonna play, hatas gonna hate’ chorus doesn’t sound trite but rather endearing and perhaps more vulnerable than one would expect. Easily one of the strongest joints on the album is “If It’s Lovin’ That You Want,” a fusion of old school hip hop beats, summery guitars and sassy lyrics. And that’s a just sample of what’s good about this album.

So what’s wrong with it? Rihanna is only seventeen and it shows. Her vocal range is somewhat limited and she’s definitely benefiting from the skills of her talented production team. Although on the dramatic closing track “Now I Know” she demonstrates some real potential. The subject matter is very age-appropriate (‘There’s a thug in my life/ how am I gonna tell my mama?’) but is not too teenaged as to alienate older listeners who enjoy danceable beats.

On Music of the Sun we get a glimpse of a modern black girl who grew up eating rice and peas and listening to reggae songstresses like Sister Nancy during her Caribbean upbringing. Add R&B influences like Alicia Keys and stylish New York sensibilities and Rihanna’s mix of cultural perspectives makes for a vibrant and well-crafted debut.