By Henry Walsh
Arts Reporter
To accurately describe Rihanna’s new sound, we need to take a peek at the artist herself. The fashion icon’s elevated sense of style has manifested in a newly glamorous aesthetic, and her insistence on being herself in everything she does is part of the reason she’s become such a star. Because of her individualism, Anti comes off as far more personal than any record she has ever released, barring perhaps Rated R.
Anti uses surprisingly few instruments. Instead of her usual roaring choruses, Rihanna opts to utilize effects and repetition to create bouncy, intriguing hooks. This is most evident in “Work,” a piece in which she opts out of using words we understand in favor of sounding well.
Her confidence is well-placed on tracks like “Desperado” and “Yeah, I Said It.” In the former’s case, this self-love is present in the way she says her lyrics, enticing another person to come run away with her. In the latter, she blatantly asks for a romp in the sheets. Her freer lyrics also add to this comfortable image. In the interlude “James Joint,”—an anthem for “savage” girls—“Needed Me,” intoxicating druggie love song, “Higher,” and standout track “Woo,” she talks about drugs very naturally.
Looking deeper into Rihanna’s artistry, we see that a lot of the songs here are built directly around, or literally are, another person’s song. “Goodnight Gotham” is a sampling and reworking of Florence + The Machine’s “Only If For A Night,” “Same Ol’ Mistakes” is a cover of “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” by Tame Impala, and the beat in “Desperado” is an interpolation of the background vocals on Banks’ track “Waiting Game”.
Rihanna has never before been shy about including another artist’s work on her album, most notably using samples from “I’m With You” by Avril Lavigne in her song “Cheers (Drink to That)” and including Lavigne in the accompanying music video. Here though, she uses these songs and samples to further her goal of not releasing “songs that were burnt out.” It works well, as none of the songs on this album feel like they could have been, or should have been, left off. Every single song works well, whether on its own or in tandem with the others.
Rated R worked well because Rihanna was expressing a feeling through song—in that case sadness and betrayal. This showed throughout most of her album tracks, and a few of the singles. Anti works well for the same reason, even though it showcases different emotions.
With Anti, Rihanna exercises the feelings of freedom and independence. Her self-confidence is still there—not that it ever really went away—but here she embraces her freedom as an artist to make the music she wants to make. No more songs from Max Martin or Dr. Luke. The closest she comes is a track each from DJ Mustard and Timbaland, the former of whom helps craft a standout in “Needed Me.” A step back from big names works in her favor here, as Rihanna (real name Robyn Fenty) manages to shine entirely on her own, without any of her guests stealing her shine.
Drake, a guest on the trippy, Jamaican-influenced single “Work,” plays the antagonist in a song with two sides to the story without overshadowing Rihanna’s point of view. SZA, guesting on the album opener “Consideration,” finds herself equal partner to Rihanna in a well-made track. Although it isn’t the strongest of songs on the album, it acts as the best possible bridge into RiRi’s new sound.
Final Grade: A-
Standout Tracks:
“Desperado”
“Work”
“Needed Me”
“Kiss It Better”
“Higher”
