Rihanna - Loud

Following the success of her previous album "Rated R", Rihanna releases her latest musical effort "Loud".

The album takes on a much lighter tone than "Rated R" and is filled more with light dance/pop tracks compared to the darker songs of "Rated R" such as "Russian Roulette".

The album opens with the track "S & M" a fun and poppy track about, as Rihanna would say in the song, being good at being bad. An interesting track "Cheers (Drink To That)" samples the Avril Lavigne hit "I'm With You". The mix of the rock sound of the original song and the R&B sound of this new track that samples the song works really well and creates a really interesting song. There are also a few collaborations on the album including the second single "What's My Name?" featuring Drake. Also included is the collaboration with Nicki Minaj "Raining Men". The song is a boppy R&B track and Nicki brings to the song her usual "Girl Power" attitude and her crazy flair.

A new recording of "Love The Way You Lie" is also included, titled "Love The Way You Lie (Part II)". The track, which features Eminem, puts Rihanna on main vocals and Eminem on guest vocals. The song is piano based and is more feminine to the previous track and is a good contrast to the original "Love The Way You Lie".

The Deluxe Edition also includes a bonus DVD which features an exclusive featurette "Making of Loud" which includes video of recording sessions, special guests such as Kanye West and a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the "Loud" album cover art photoshoot and the making of the "Only Girl (In The World)" music video.

The album is filled with poppy and R&B infused songs, ballads and reggae songs, and all reflect Rihanna's signature sound. Available now from Def Jam Recordings and Universal Music Australia.