Album Review: Anti // Rihanna

This review originally appeared in the now-defunct altmusicbox in 2016.

Source: albumoftheyear.org

Throughout the late noughties and early 2010s, Rihanna followed a pattern of pretty much releasing an album a year; usually nothing ground-breaking but an arsenal of sure-fire top ten hits and big name collabs. Rated R and Loud are undisputed pop gems, but it felt like a while since Rihanna had given fans something unexpected, something she perhaps couldn’t rest assured that they’d enjoy, but instead positively devour: Anti is just that. Following a three year break – the Barbadian singer’s longest since Unapologetic in 2012 – and a label change from Def Jam to Roc Nation, Anti sees a departure from club-based tracks to a more poppy, soulful neo-R&B sound. Another notable difference from Fenty’s previous work is her more active involvement in the lyrics and production of her latest long player, recruiting an impressive roster of producers, from Timbaland to Boi-1da. 


Anti’s sound is not easily pigeonholed and that’s what makes it so fresh and addictive: dark and minimalistic with a less-is-more feel, and sparsely layered song structures melded with elements of dancehall reveal a different side to Rihanna. Dealing with “the complexities of romantic love and self-assurance”, Anti runs in the vein of futuristic R&B and electro-soul yet with an old-school nod to Fenty’s Caribbean roots.


The percolating beats of ‘Consideration’ (featuring SZA) open her eighth LP, flowing smoothly into the chilled vibe of ‘James Joint’, mellow, summery ode to marijuana. A more mature sound is apparent on Anti with Rihanna’s unique brand of neo-soul and melange of deep synths, as well as a slight 90s influence.  The songstress claimed she wanted something more “aggressive” that “felt real” on Anti, a “timeless” collection of songs that she’s still want to perform in fifteen years. ‘Work’, featuring a verse courtesy of Canadian rapper Drake, feels like a less obvious choice for the lead single when listening to Anti in its entirety; its laid-back vocals and spacey beats don’t quite have the dynamism of ‘Kiss It Better’’s cry of “boy fuck your pride”. Rihanna does what she does best especially on Deluxe track ‘Sex with Me’, an unapologetic expression of female sexuality.


In a number that sounds very FKA twigs-meets-Beyoncé, ‘Woo’ (featuring Travis Scott) is fuelled by a harsh industrial beat which infiltrates into ‘Needed Me’, an unforgiving commentary on modern millennial romance: “Didn't they tell you that I was a savage / Fuck your white horse and a carriage / Bet you never could imagine / Never told you you could have it / You needed me”. Rihanna’s much anticipated Tame Impala cover, ‘Same Ol’ Mistakes’, is the stand-out track on Anti - a far from predictable six minutes and thirty-seven seconds of synth-soaked bliss peppered with Janet Jackson-esque production. Even Anti’s slower, sexier moments aren’t overindulgent, and the record’s closing tracks, notably ‘Love on the Brain’, are lamenting and genuinely heartfelt, displaying a talented, husky, neo-soul vocalist who doesn’t always get the credit she deserves.


Anti feels like an exodus from a previously hits-driven career, music for the comedown from the high. With over one million copies of Anti sold within a day and a prestigious deal with Samsung, the album’s artwork – an edited photo of Fenty’s first day of day care – feels symbolic of a kind of renaissance for Rihanna. And oh man, does the rest of the world want to be onboard.