Rihanna Album: “Loud”

I don't understand why people are downing this album so much. I think this album is better vocally compared to "Rated R". The material on this album is a culmination of all of her previous albums, and I think it's great.

I think there is a lot of great variety and themes on this album. I love the sexiness of "What's My Name?", the majestic ballad "California King Bed", and the way Barbadian "Man Down".

The lyrics of all these songs may not be as personal or introspective as "Rated R", but Rihanna still owns each lyric effortlessly. Her voice is so recognizable compared to so many other artists, even if you auto-tuned it like in "Raining Men".

That's what I've always liked about her is that her voice is so unique and strong. This album really shows her vocal strength especially in "Only Girl", "Complicated" and "California King Bed". I'm really impressed with the way she pushed her range to the limit.

I recommend this to Rihanna fans for sure, they won't be disappointed. But if you were looking for hard-edged "Rated R" Rihanna, you will find less of it on this album. You can tell by the flowery album artwork and the fluffiness of the some songs on this album that her record label wanted to show the softer side of Rihanna, especially given what's happened her in the past. And that's alright with me as long as Rihanna is happy and having control of her life.

This is not Amazons fault, but if you buy Rihanna's 5th album, Loud, make sure you buy it in MP3 form. I bought the CD because I prefer CDs over MP3's but apparently Rihanna's "Loud" does not have an Explicit version in physical CD form. This makes me angry because her musics all choppy because she cusses in about 7 of the songs. It is so hard to listen to the album and not be frustrated. Worst idea Rihanna and her producer's ever came up with. If you want this Rihanna album, please buy it through mp3. Save yourself the headache (:

This review refers specifically to the exclusive contents of the Couture Edition of "Loud", as I feel there are plenty of reviews available regarding the actual musical content of this release. I will note however, that this release is also unfortunately censored.

If I was asked to describe this package using as few words as possible, I would say "It's a mega-sized deluxe edition digipack!" The entire set is housed in a plastic cover. Nothing too special about this; it simply reads "Rihanna" across the top and "Loud" across the bottom in some kind of raised, glittered letters. You remove the "digipack" from the plastic cover and unfold the compartments. You should recognize the main product image.

In the center compartment you'll find the booklet and lithograph. I wasn't sure what a lithograph was when I ordered this from Rihanna's website. I looked up a definition and still wasn't sure what it was. I received my order and understood somewhat. To say the least, it's a pixelated poster. For a more detailed description, I'd suggest trying to imagine the sandstone landscape around the edge of your pool. Looking closely you can see the tens of thousands of "pieces" making up the cover image. I really don't know how to explain it, except that it looks great on my wall.

The extra large booklet is a nice alternative to the standard 4 incher. (Ha.) It includes almost all of the photographs from the Standard Edition booklet, plus a few extra, and mega-sized. Your view of Rihanna is not obstructed by those pesky song and musician credits (you'll still find them on the last page).

Overall this is a great collectors piece. The booklet is printed on sturdy paper and the entire package has a smooth, glossy finish. This release still includes track 11: "Love The Way You Lie" although at the time of this review Amazon does not list it. I hope this information was useful in helping you understand exactly what you are buying. Most of it might have been obvious information. If that is the case, then I've just confirmed.

I absolutely love Rihanna's album Good Girl Gone Bad, but wasn't too impressed by Rated R, so I put off purchasing LOUD until I had heard several of the songs. ONLY GIRL IN THE WORLD and S&M are both great upbeat songs.CALIFORNIA KING BED is a truly beautiful song. It fills me with emotion everytime I listen to it. I also highly recommend a listen to Rihanna's version of the EMINEM hit LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE because it starts off mainly Rihanna and ends with Eminem's vocals. It is a great version of the song. I am very happy I purchased the entire CD instead of just downloading the "popular" songs.

Rihanna has done it again with another great CD. I love LOUD! What's My Name is one of my favorites on the CD. The song with Nikki Manaj is pretty hot as well, even though I don't like Nikki Manaj at all. Definitely worth the money. Rihanna has grown and this album reflects that.