5. 'Loud' (2010)
RiRi's most 'pop' album to date, the sunny sounds and effervescently irreverent sound was a breath of fresh air after the tumultuous and dark 'Rated R' era. Kicking back onto the music scene as a fully-fledged superstar with lead single 'Only Girl In The World', RIhanna symbolised the beginning of a new more positive era with a bright smile, flame red hair and a sweeter, happier demeanour now that her demons had been laid to rest and her public persona secured. The album is a reflection of the same themes, albeit with little to no cohesion - the sinister dancehall tune 'Man Down' sits alongside overwrought ballad 'California King Bed' and ultra-smutty sex anthem 'S&M' with no sonic or lyrical arcs that dominate the album or even define it really. There are still signs of her vulnerability here - 'Skin' is a strange, subdued ballad that becomes so much more, while 'Complicated', an electropop tune becomes a heartfelt ode to her past troubles that seems to signify Rihanna continuing to deal with her issues to the present day, rather than making a clean cut and fresh start. Whether or not this is a deliberate attempt or not remains unknown - after the dark 'Rated R' era, Rihanna seemed to be putting all her efforts into going the other way and becoming a breezy, brazenly joyous character. There are more classic 'party anthems' and fun songs than normal, and the sonic spectrum she explores is so disparate and wide, she seems to painting with every colour she has available on her musical palate, rather than the shades of blood red and grey she had previously equipped herself with. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR0v0i63PQ4 However, this remains Rihanna's biggest 'singles' album, full of chart-topping hits that dominated radio for most of 2010 and 2011. Sultry duet 'What's My Name' with Canadian rapper/crooner Drake and Avril-Lavigne-sampling party anthem 'Cheers (Drink To That)' are both solid, fun songs that remain catchy to this day, while album closer 'Love The Way You Lie, Part II' transforms her mega-smash team-up with Eminem from a ferocious rap-pop anthem into a vulnerable and beautiful track that she makes her own and symbolises her own personal heartaches. Well worth the price of admission, if not her finest work.