The Death of the Single Driven, “Big Pop Album.”

With little to no fanfare, Rihanna’s eighth studio album, Anti, was released to the masses on the evening of January 27th. If I can say one thing, it’s that it blew my fucking mind (and clearly a few other people’s, as it went platinum within 12 hours of release). This album is not only her greatest work to date, its groundbreaking. It completely breaks the mold of what we’ve come to expect from big successful pop acts. Instead of being packed with the sleek, radio ready, overindulgent party anthems that have been, up until this point, Rihanna’s and other popular female artists calling card, we have an album of actual substance and artistic merit.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a banger or two still in the mix. Bonus track, Pose and the albums lead single, the Drake assisted Work, being prime examples. The difference here being that these aren’t the songs driving the album. The standout tracks on the record are her forays into territories that, are for her, incredibly out of character. Namely being, shows of emotional vulnerability, pushing her vocals to the extreme, and creating a cohesive album, worthy of recognition for its artistic scope and originality. Though don’t for a moment believe that I’m calling this album “perfect.” It has its inconsistencies like any album does, and there are tracks that easily could have been done away with to make the album flow better.

For longtime fans of Rihanna, this album is one of two things: disappointing in its lack of the party anthems that they’ve come to expect from the self proclaimed “bad girl.” Or, refreshing in the brazen honesty of some of the tracks. The ballads that make you feel you know Rihanna past the image that the well oiled machine that is the music industry has hand crafted her into, to make her a more consumable product.

Either way, what we have here, is something different, something game changing, coming from an artist who it’s usually not inappropriate to call, “a guilty pleasure.” My hope, is that other pop artists will follow in the footsteps of Rihanna, crafting albums that favor artistic expression over marketability.

What are your thoughts on Rihanna’s transformation? Are you impressed? Disappointed? Indifferent? Let me know!

Tracks to Listen To

• James Joint
• Kiss it Better
• Woo
• Needed Me
• Yeah, I Said It
• Never Ending
• Pose
• Love on the Brain
• Higher
• Close to You