Rihanna ‘Unapologetic’/‘Anti’ SYNC LISTEN (25/11 @ 9:45pm)

[Tisch]

Hard Feelings 10
Loveless 10 - but should have been a separate song

Melodrama 10

So you're saying it's a 33.3% strong album? I might give it another go. Green Light is stun but everything else passed me by.</forgets anyway>

 

[Jark]

love her decision to randomly PLOP this breezy island-lite track, AKA Man Down with none of the weight, as the penultimate track. I fucking love it anyway.

07 Phresh Off the Runway
10 Diamonds
06 Numb
05 Pour It Up
10 Loveeeeeee Song
10 Jump
10 Right Now
10 What Now
11 Stay
09 Nobody's Business
08 Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary
07 Get It Over With
09 No Love Allowed

 

[RJN]

06 Phresh off the Runway
09 Diamonds
07 Numb
11 Pour It Up
10 Loveeeee Song
07 Jump
09 Right Now
05 What Now
09 Stay
10 Nobody's Business
08 Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary
06 Get It Over With

 

[POP!]

07 Phresh Off the Runway
11 Diamonds
06 Numb
09 Pour it Up
10 Loveeeeeeee Song
08 Jump
05 Right Now
09 What Now
09 Stay
10 Nobody's Business
09 Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary
10 Get it Over With

 

[Tisch]

There's something truly cursed about having multiple HASHTAGS in a handwritten font on an album cover

It really SHOULD have been the tracklist. It's quite SHIT when you just look at it as a random bunch of words (which it is bar DIAMONDS)

 

[RJN]

So you're saying it's a 33.3% strong album? I might give it another go. Green Light is stun but everything else passed me by.</forgets anyway>

I can't tell if you're joking or not but...

09 Green Light
10 Sober
10 Homemade Dynamite
11 Liability
10 Hard Feelings/Loveless
07 Sober 2
11 Writer In The Dark
10 Supercut
07 Liability Reprise
11 Perfect Places

 

[POP!]

"No Love Allowed" is a bit filler-ish and "Man Down" wannabe, but I enjoy it.

 

[RJN]

06 Phresh off the Runway
09 Diamonds
07 Numb
11 Pour It Up
10 Loveeeee Song
07 Jump
09 Right Now
05 What Now
09 Stay
10 Nobody's Business
08 Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary
06 Get It Over With
09 No Love Allowed

She really excels when she does reggae-ish stuff like this (Man Down )

 

[POP!]

07 Phresh Off the Runway
11 Diamonds
06 Numb
09 Pour it Up
10 Loveeeeeeee Song
08 Jump
05 Right Now
09 What Now
09 Stay
10 Nobody's Business
09 Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary
10 Get it Over With
07 No Love Allowed

 

[Jark]

Melodrama is one of the towering triumphs of the last decade in pop. It's art.

probably not selling it to @Tisch there but do listen again hun maybe that should be our next sync listen?

 

[Tisch]

Melodrama is one of the towering triumphs of the last decade in pop. It's art.

probably not selling it to @Tisch there but do listen again hun maybe that should be our next sync listen?

I've given it many goes! But I'm willing to give it another go with a red wine and a Jark commentary

 

[POP!]

"Lost in Paradise" is a nice closer, the transition into the bop chorus is quite nice...

BASS SLAP!

 

[RJN]

06 Phresh off the Runway
09 Diamonds
07 Numb
11 Pour It Up
10 Loveeeee Song
07 Jump
09 Right Now
05 What Now
09 Stay
10 Nobody's Business
08 Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary
06 Get It Over With
09 No Love Allowed
09 Lost In Paradise

The production is a little "of its time" but I think the melody is really strong and it has a sense of urgency to it I like

 

[Jark]

Lost in Paradise takes us back to the grungy EDM of that mid-section, but a bit more laid back. It SLAPS!

07 Phresh Off the Runway
10 Diamonds
06 Numb
05 Pour It Up
10 Loveeeeeee Song
10 Jump
10 Right Now
10 What Now
11 Stay
09 Nobody's Business
08 Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary
07 Get It Over With
09 No Love Allowed
09 Lost in Paradise

8.6/10

this really is a very sonically bipolar record but somehow her charisma is such that you're just ON BOARD FOR THE RIDE. and the songs are really, really strong.

Anti has WORK (WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK) TO DO.

 

[POP!]

07 Phresh Off the Runway
11 Diamonds
06 Numb
09 Pour it Up
10 Loveeeeeeee Song
08 Jump
05 Right Now
09 What Now
09 Stay
10 Nobody's Business
09 Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary
10 Get it Over With
07 No Love Allowed
08 Lost in Paradise

 

[POP!]

ANTI at 10:45!

 

[Tisch]

I was about to go to bed but now I'm REALLY looking forward to Anti. I listened to it all but twice and don't really like it.

 

[RJN]

8.2 average for me. I'd say its more of 7.5 truthfully

 

[Tisch]

I have a bonus track coming up called 'Half of Me' (Geri cover?) Worth it?

 

[RJN]

I was about to go to bed but now I'm REALLY looking forward to Anti. I listened to it all but twice and don't really like it.

You're looking forward to an album you don't like?

 

[GNL]

I find it disconcerting that Unapologetic is 8 years old, but 'Lost in Paradise' really is of its time.

 

[Tisch]

You're looking forward to an album you don't like?

I'm looking forward to seeing it in a different light

(Aka with wine)

 

[Jark]

let's GO on Anti

 

[Tisch]

STARTED!

 

[Jark]

have we all heard the story of how she stole Consideration from SZA?

 

[POP!]

have we all heard the story of how she stole Consideration from SZA?

How did this transpire? Was it supposed to be on SZA's album or did she just take a demo, add her vocal and release it ?

 

[Tisch]

Is there a tune yet?

 

[RJN]

08 Consideration - It literally sounds just like a SZA song (so I believe it was stolen) but a solid opener

 

[POP!]

07 Consideration

 

[POP!]

I like "James Joint" but feel as if she should have made it a proper song or else put it much later on the album... kind of odd to have an interlude-ish moment as song #2. It has potential.

 

[RJN]

08 Consideration
07 James Joint - More of an interlude really.

"Don't know why just know I love you" is good though

 

[GNL]

Didn't she release about five singles that didn't even make it to the album? RIP 'Bitch Better Have My Money'.

 

[POP!]

Forgot about "Kiss it Better" - LOVE the guitar. It is an infinitely more successful attempt at the pop/rock crossover than "Rockstar 101'.

 

[Jark]

08 Consideration - a strong, confident opener that nicely sets the tone for the record
06 James Joint - pointless

 

[GNL]

'Kiss it Better' is GREAT. Thank you, acclaimed songwriter and dreamsnatcher Natalia Kills.

 

[RJN]

08 Consideration
07 James Joint
10 Kiss It Better - Why wasn't this a hit? Was it even a single?

Love the lyrics, melody, production, vibe. One of those songs where the verses are the strongest part

 

[Pipo]

omg just in time for ANTI

 

[Jark]

Didn't she release about five singles that didn't even make it to the album? RIP 'Bitch Better Have My Money'.

yes and despite being left off FourFiveSeconds (which I like a lot) was huge. it has like 700m streams.

 

[Pipo]

09 Consideration
07 James Joint
13 Kiss It Better

yes ladies, I STAN IT

 

[Jark]

How did this transpire? Was it supposed to be on SZA's album or did she just take a demo, add her vocal and release it ?

I've forgotten the details so I'll look it up but it was something like: SZA was in the same building and got asked if she wanted to play some songs for Rihanna. so she was like YES of course but someone said to her "don't play the ones you want to keep" which she did anyway and sure enough Rihanna snatched up Consideration for herself. thrifty queen.