As a fan of the girl who sang Pon de Replay, I have bore witness to the countless transformations of Rihanna. She was first introduced to us as a sunny pop artist with heavy reggae and Caribbean influences. Since then she's experimented with R&B, rubbed shoulders with hip hop, gone through a "dark and edgy" chapter, exploded all over the world with Umbrella, tried being a rockstar, and changed hairstyles quicker than you can say the title of her upcoming album, LOUD.

When Only Girl in the World premiered, I had branded it as a typical dancepop track eager to ride the waves of the hot trend. While those words still ring true, what I've discovered in my recent epiphany is that it's probably one of the best in the bunch. Stargate was absolutely spot-on with the production, and I'm glad RiRi's gotten out of her dark phase.

»Watch the video here.


The second single from Loud is What's My Name featuring Canadian rapper Drake, and it sounds nothing like Only Girl in the World. It's like a throwback to Rihanna's earliest days, sunshiny and breezy with a subtle Caribbean inspiration.





Below is the tracklisting of the upcoming album to be released on November 15th.

1. S&M
2. What’s My Name? Feat. Drake
3. Cheers (Drink To That)
4. Fading
5. Only Girl (In The World)
6. California King Bed
7. Man Down
8. Raining Men Feat. Nicki Minaj
9. Complicated
10. Skin
11. Love The Way You Lie (Part II) Feat. Eminem

LOUD will also be available in deluxe, called the 'Couture Edition', which includes a bonus disc.