Track Listing

1. Pon de Replay
2. Here I Go Again
3. If It's Lovin' That You Want
4. You Don't Love Me (No, No, No) - Vybz Kartel, Rihanna
5. That La, La, La
6. Last Time
7. Willing to Wait
8. Music of the Sun
9. Let Me
10. Rush - Kardinal Offishall, , Rihanna
11. There's a Thug in My Life
12. Now I Know
13. Pon de Replay [Remix][*][Mix] - Elephant Man, Rihanna

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40361 in Music
• Released on: 2005-08-30
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
There's nothing like the warm spirit of the Caribbean to re-energize a dry, stale season of the same old song and dance. And with summer fast approaching there couldn't be a better time for Barbados-born singer Rihanna to break into an industry that is eager to celebrate the next big thing. Thanks to multi-platinum island-born superstars like Sean Paul, Shaggy and Elephant Man, the mainstream has been primed for a rhythmic female star to step into the forefront of popular music.

Besides ripping traditional reggae tracks like a seasoned dancehall queen, the stunning 17-year-old Rihanna possesses a powerful singing voice that conjures up feelings and experiences way beyond her years. It's no wonder that all it took was a quick audition with Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, President and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, for the green-eyed beauty to solidify a recording contract with the multi-million dollar record company. While that performance ended up changing her life forever, the sweet natured island girl laughs at her own naiveté at the time. "I was in the lobby shaking!," remembers Rihanna with a healthy dose of her Bajan accent hanging onto every one of her words. "I saw just a little bit of Jay's face down the hall and I was just like, 'Oh my God!' I had never met a celebrity, and to meet a celebrity who's also the president of the label, that was crazy!!"

Luckily Rihanna was able to shake the jitters as soon as she started her impromptu showcase, a performance that forced her future label bosses to sign the deal before she walked out of their offices. "We were there until 4:30 in the morning closing the deal. Every time I signed my name I was just smiling."

Growing up in the parish of St. Michael, Barbados, it never occurred to Rihanna that one day she would be sitting in the company of mega music moguls. Before moving to the US in 2005, Rihanna lived somewhat of a simple life on her home island where she attended high school and like most teenage girls sang songs for fun with her friends. Aside from winning her school's beauty and talent pageant, Rihanna never realized how talented she really was until she attracted the attention of a New York City music producer named Evan Rogers. (Evan and his partner, Carl Sturken, have produced hits for such artists as Christina Aguilera, Ruben Studdard and Kelly Clarkson.) Evan and his Barbadian wife Jackie were vacationing over Christmas near Rihanna's hometown and through a mutual friend were introduced to the young diva. After hearing her belt out a couple of tunes Evan realized Rihanna's future star power and invited her to New York to record some tracks.

Rihanna, Evan and Carl ended up creating close to a dozen songs. Together they pulled inspiration from the dancehall and reggae that are embedded in Rihanna's rich musical culture and fused it with a fresh R&B soul sound - a mixture Rihanna likes to compare to one of her favorite Caribbean dishes, callaloo. "It's like a gumbo or a stew," explains Rihanna. "My music is mostly Caribbean beats mixed with R&B. I don't want to be pigeon holed into being just a dance artist because I can sing too. I have ballads on the album as well as upbeat tracks."

Rihanna's debut album promises to have all the ingredients that make musical magic. And like her influences Beyonce, Alicia Keys, and Mariah Carey, Rihanna is a talented songwriter who has co-written much of her album. "Music is in my D.N.A.!" exclaims the bright eyed singer. Her first single "Pon De Replay" is sure to mash up dancehalls worldwide with Rihanna's soul stirring vocals demanding the DJ to play her song again and again 'til it touches every single person within earshot. With tracks featuring both Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel, Rihanna is guaranteed to supply some serious heat for both radio and clubs nationwide.

Rihanna is indeed living a real life Cinderella story. "If I hadn't met Evan and Carl I might have just been dreaming forever," she muses. "I am so thankful for everything they've done for me." Soon the whole world will be giving both Rihanna and her producers thanks.

---

Customer Reviews

Fresh off the boat
A fresh new female face of reggae has hit the USA, compliments of Jay-Z and Def Jam, and to the vacationing producer and his wife who stumbled upon Rihanna in her home turf in Barbados.

Lucky to be in the right place at the right time with the right voice and song, Rihanna captured the dance scene with her catchy single "Pon De Replay", a dancehall track with Sean Paul type rhythms, and Lumidee appeal.

To lovers of Caribbean music, this is standard fare, played at parties everywhere, and although the rest of the album is likeable, there's nothing spectacular. The second track "Here I Go Again" is what we call "Lover's Rock", with a beat as old as the hills, a genre that inspired millions of bump and grind slow dances. "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" is another Lover's Rock remix, and although she's only 17, she sounds much older singing this type of ballad.

"Music of the Sun" is a good track, with a chorus sounding like Debarge's "Rhythm of the Night"

Debarge:

Feel the beat of the rhythm of the night
dance until the morning light
Forget about the worries on your mind
you can leave them all behind
feel the beat of the rhythm of the night..
oohh the rhythm of the night...ooohh yeah

Rihanna:

Can you feel the music in the air
Let the rise of the rhythm take you there
It doesn't matter who are or where you from
Come and dance to the music of the sun
Forget about your troubles it's alright
Let `em know that you see the morning light
Hear the beat and the bodies move as one
Come and dance to the music of the sun

Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel add a little spice to the album, and other buzz-worthy songs are the dance friendly "Rush", "Let Me" and the pumping "Pon De (Replay Mix )" featuring Elephant Man.

Not a bad debut album from the young Bajan girl from the land of Sun, Surf and Sand.



Amanda Richards, September 17, 2005

Great debut!
Rihanna, a new artist signed to Jay-Z's Def Jam, comes with a straight fire debut. She combines R&B and Caribbean/Reggae together and it comes out great. Definately a great buy which everyone needs to purchase.

Pon De Replay - 10/10 - The first single, and everyone's heard it. Definately fire.

Here I Go Again - 8.5/10 - Not the best beat, but Rihanna kills it!

If It's Lovin' That You Want - 7/10 - Nice beat, but not a good performence by Rihanna. Not my choice for the second single.

You Don't Love Me (No, No, No) - 5/10 - How many times has this song been redone? Jae Millz definately killed his version though. Anyway, Rihanna does do a good job on the chorus, and I just don't like the verses, along with the beat and the whole vibe of it.

That La la La - 9/10 - A CRAZY beat, which Rihanna gets a good chorus over. Nice job.

The Last Time - 9/10 - A slower song with a soothing guitar. A breakup song basiclly. The R&B side, which this song she pulls off great.

Willing To Wait - 6/10 - Another R&B song, which isn't too good this time around. Seems like it lasts forever, which isn't a good sign.

Music of the Sun - 7/10 - Being that the album title is basiclly Music of the Caribbean, I would predict a much more up-tempo song here like earlier in the album. But, no. It's still okay, a little more up-tempo than the last two songs, but it's not good, a little repetitive. More like an intro, or at least a song early in the album, not halfway through.

Let Me - 7/10 - A nice start, and Rihanna jumps in and kills it! Nice beat, and a more R&B inspired Hip-Hop kind of song. Really reminded of Amerie. If I heard this on the radio, I might've thought it was her! But, doesn't flow with the rest of album, and sort've thwrows you off.

Rush ft. Kardinall Offishall - 7/10 - Nice performence by Kardinall, and a nice beat, but another R&B/Hip-Hop Rihanna, which doesn't sound too good. This song is much better than "Let Me", though.

There's A Thug In My Life - 10/10 - My favorite song on the whole album! Crazy song, I'm speechless after hearing it.

Now I Know - 9/10 - A piano is the background, and Rihanna really shows off her voice. That's nice, but it's more Alicia Keys's type, not my favorite, especially at 5:01. I'm giving a high rating because how strog Rihanna's voice is, and how good she does on this song. It's not a song I'll be repeating too often though.

Pone De Replay (Replay Mix) ft. Elephant Man - 9/10 - Not as good as the original, but Elephant Man does do decent. Sizza!

Enjoyable and Fun.
You would imagine that she would be a one hit wonder. Her first single, "Pon De Replay" even samples the handclap that is notorious for leading to one hit wonders. (Must I remind you of Lumidee?) But actually, this CD has some pretty good material.

This album has some great songs like "Here I Go Again", "If It's Lovin' That You Want" and "Music of the Sun". Her voice is not the best, but she works with what she's got and produces wonderful harmonizing. There are one or two filler tracks, yes, like "Willing To Wait", but this CD has a lot more good material than bad, and is an enjoyable album.