Rihanna's Rated R Album Review

Her's How The Post Dan Aquliante see's it:

Rihanna's Rated R 3 1/2 stars

Just when you thought the saga of Chris Brown and Rihanna was starting to fizzle out, the “Umbrella” singer and her former boyfriend are ready to bring it to the charts.

Rihanna’s very sexy CD, “Rated R,” is out now, and Brown drops his CD, “Graffiti,” Dec. 8.

Both albums are cutting-edge hip-pop, with Rihanna laying down 13 songs that have a dark introspective undercurrent. Brown, who also recorded 13 tracks for his disc, seems to be

trying to forget personal troubles and exist in an upbeat party mode.

In general, Rihanna’s disc takes more time to appreciate. You have to work a little, but the album is cohesive and well thought out. If there was an award for segue and transition, Rihanna would win it for how the song “Rockstar 101” glides into the disc’s single, “Russian Roulette,” on the wings of a Slash guitar solo. It’s a stunning moment on the record.

There’s nothing like that on Brown’s record. Instead, CB’s effort comes off as a series of possible singles. That said, some of those singles are terrific, such as the percolating “Wait,” in which the slugger gets some help from Trey Songz and the Game.

Concentrating on the music and ignoring his troubles might be the best strategy Brown could mount because 2009 found his clean-cut image in tatters.

Musically, Rihanna clearly edges Brown out with the better disc, because she makes her record personal with songs like “Stupid in Love,” “Rude Boy” and “Photographs” — where she gives Peas a chance on a duet with will.i.am. With nods to classic rock, Latin and hip-hop, her album has wider stylistic reach than Brown’s more straight-ahead R&B/urban treatment.