Rihanna

Despite her Ronald McDonald-style hair, Rihanna is anything but kid-friendly on her new album Loud. A disjointed mix of sex-obsessed lyrics and trashy pop beats, Rihanna’s fifth studio release is a stark contrast to the innocent island vibe of her debut record, Music of the Sun. Apparently, a lot can change in five years—and I’m not just talking about hair color.

For instance, who would have thought that the “Pon de Replay”-singing starlet from Barbados would one day release a song entitled “S&M”? As Rihanna sings, “Sticks and stones may break my bones/But chains and whips excite me,” one can only wonder to what extent the Chris Brown debacle has fueled such a change. Or take the song “Skin”: “So why you standing over there with your clothes on/Baby strip down for me.” Though the lyrics are reminiscent of the popular “Rude Boy” from her previous album, “Skin” is slower, less interesting and lacking in the catchy pop style that made the former a hit.

Although Rihanna’s lyrics have, you could say, “matured,” her vocal performance has not. Almost every track on Loud is merely that: loud. The singer’s range has not improved, and her voice is as electronically enhanced as ever. “California King Bed” and “Complicated” are the only songs in which Rihanna makes an attempt to expand her style, but both fall flat, leaving an unpleasant ringing in the listener’s ears.

Still, Loud does have a few hits. “What’s My Name?” and “Only Girl (In the World)” have already reached number one and three, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Raining Men” and “Love the Way You Lie (Part II)” have potential for popularity. However, as a whole, her latest release seems to be more a random collection of noise than a cohesive blend of artistic relevancy. We might have to ask Rihanna to stop the music soon.