Anti album review
It can be argued that Rihanna’s appeal (aside from physical appearance) is her unique ability to sink her vocals deep into the rivers of production. This musical trademark is evidenced on Anti, the eighth project from the Barbados native, more so than it has on any other album that she’s put out to the public. The compositions are R&B inspired, which for the most part has been a smattering area for the singer. Anti‘s theme is love – its intensity, complexity, and all of the captivating elements that make it one of the most intoxicating emotions that can be expressed by a human.
The opening cut, “Consideration,” finds Rihanna giving no fucks and asking for a break from paparazzi, and all of the cons that come with adoration, fame and fortune. Through a dub inspired beat provided by SZA, the beat knocks against the speakers and emphatically sets the tone for the tracks that follow. On “Kiss It Better,” Rihanna is sultry allowing her mezzo-soprano vocals to flock to the beat like bees do pollen. It is a thrillingly, moody standout that presents a growth in her approach to music. Despite criticism that has often come Rihanna’s way that her music is one-dimensional pop, over the years, she has managed to energetically work to remove this characterization, and “Kiss It Better” is a stellar example of achievement of that goal.
The album’s first single, “Work,” is influenced by dancehall, being thickly woven as a nod to that genre’s yore. Featuring, Drake, who plods his vocals midpoint in the song, its selection as first single will undoubtedly work well on radio.
Rihanna seemingly pulls out all the stops on “Needed Me,” where she imbibes vocal dexterity and affectations that are deeply soulful, dark and layered with scorching tempestuousness that will make even a non-fan of hers take notice. One of her more focused efforts, Anti, exhorts a kind of compelling, magical, oomph that works on many levels. Whether it’s the guitar driven “Never Ending,” the smoky essence of “Higher,” that sets the scene of a velvety lounge ridden with sentimentality, or the Tame Impala cover of “Same Ol’ Mistakes,” which is infused with seduction absent from the original version, Rihanna is bent on exhibiting that she’s here to stay, and won’t be toppled by any of the artists that have emerged over the last few years within the pop genre.
Interestingly, the singles that have been released over the past year, “FourFiveSeconds,” “Bitch Better Have My Money,” and “American Oxygen” are absent from the project. Perhaps, Rihanna believed after examining their chart positions, that their themes didn’t work alongside the passionate pangs that “Woo” from Anti – and she was right in her analysis.
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Anti receives a PAR
