Warning! Good Girls Can Go Bad

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Written by Vanessa Salazar

Rihanna

Having become accustomed to hearing Rihanna's catchy tunes n the radio I finally broke down and purchased her latest release, Good Girl Gone Bad. I was expecting one of two things. The album was either going to be infested with non-stop dance music, or it would end up being another poor Pop/R&B release with two or three good upbeat songs with the remainder of the disc being slow, sappy, and typical.

The album begins with the familiar beginning of Umbrella that makes me want to nod my head in agreement to the beat...the beat of repetition. Rihanna can't help that her song has been overplayed by radio stations and fans alike. It's a catchy and agreeable song. I suppose it's a love/hate relationship. Push Up On Me starts off like an 80's dance song and ends like an unnerving teeny-bop pop song, "Let's play a game/I won't be a tease...I wish you would push up on me/I wish you would push up on me/I wish you would light me up and say you want me/Push up me."

When Don't Start the Music comes around I can instnatly picture myself at a club with strobe lights affecting my perception of reality. No booty dancing here, just body twisting movement that you can't even imagine until you let your body move to the music. So distracted my body would be that I could forgive the Michael Jackson sounding yelps and incoherent rambling.

The following track Breakin' Dishes made me do a double take to ensure that I was not listening to the latest from Nelly Furtado. It's a bit sassy and nasally. The sassiness remains, but thank goodness the nasal sounds disappear. The beat is really catchy--a song that I would blast in my car driving down CA-I 99 with my windows rolled down. A song that lets men everywhere know that they better not piss me off.

As the follow-up single to Rihanna's much-loved Umbrella, Shut Up and Drive provides more of a rock edge for our dancing pop princess. While I do like this song, it is something you would hear on the soundtrack for another Hillary Duff movie.

Things begin to slow down with Hate That I Love You as R&B singer Ne-Yo makes a guest appearance on the album. While this song does not stand out amidst the massive amount of love song duets, both singers work well together giving the song it's bittersweet feel. Say It is reminiscent of rookie R&B/pop songs. It's something that I have heard before. Rihanna has more potential than that.

Sell Me Candy and Lemme Get That both have some Timbaland magic that revives you from the last two ballads. For this, I am grateful. Of the two songs though, Lemme Get That is a much more enjoyable dancing groove.

Just as was starting to enjoy myself again I have to sit down because there is another break on the album. This break manages to keep my body twitching on the couch (thanks to the Timberlake and Timbaland collaboration) and ready for more dancing. What a tease!

Hoping for some more dancing beats to burn another five calories I am interrupted by the sound of a dirty slow dance song...something that has a hint of Janet Jackson. It's the type of song that makes you look around to make sure that no one else sees you listening. Rihanna bears her soul as she opens up about her insecurities; so insecure that she lowers her voice in a slightly seductive approach.

Listen up men! For the closing treatment, listeners are left with Rihanna warning men in Good Girl Gone Bad. She warns men everywhere that they better treat women right, or else their shortcomings will change the fate of good girls everywhere. "Once hurt/a good girl goes bad/we die forever."

While the album consists of more ballads that I would prefer, it is still FUN to listen to. In the future I'll just skip the songs I can't dance to. I don't regret forking over the $12 as long as I can get my body moving--don't worry, I contain myself in public...