Unapologetic

Just how controversial is Rihanna’s new album? That depends on how worked up you get about rhyme schemes like this: ”Your love is infectious/Let’s make out in this Lexus.” She might’ve stirred up headlines when she invited her ex Chris Brown to sing that line on ”Nobody’s Business,” which borrows its title (and its ’80s R&B sound) from Michael Jackson’s ”The Way You Make Me Feel.” But the album is far less defiant than its title suggests, with just as many lovely moments by the piano (”Stay”) as there are dubstep-warped bangers (check out the massive club rave-up ”Jump,” which nods to Ginuwine’s equestrian-love classic ”Pony”). After last year’s Eurodisco romp Talk That Talk, the only thing shocking here is how vulnerable she sounds. B+

Best Tracks:
Diamonds
Jump

• By Melissa Maerz