Even with a captivating, drum-less reggae groove, it's hard to hear lines like 'Your love hit me to the core' and 'It's so foolish how you keep me wanting more' and think that she's fine and could be singing about anyone. The same could be said of 'No Love Allowed,' which comes along a little later. Perhaps no one should read anything into it. 2/Abyss.' Over a swelling and receding production with echoes of Kim Carnes' 'Bette Davis' Eyes,' Rihanna mourns ('Felt like love struck me in the night/I pray that love don't strike twice'), then confesses ('Mother Mary, I swear I wanna change'), then surrenders ('I'm prepared to die in the moment'). Rihanna's partner proposes to make out in a Lexus prior to proclaiming that the relationship 'ain't nobody's business.' The celebration is followed by 'Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary,' conjoined songs with a wide theatrical scope akin to that of the-Dream's own 'Nikki, Pt. 'Nobody's Business,' flecked with elements from Michael Jackson's 'The Way You Make Me Feel,' is a beaming if somewhat belligerent disco-house duet with Chris Brown. Phresh Out the Runway opens with warped techno tones and twerky hip-hop beats blasting like aerosol paint under Rihanna as she throws down hard claims and warnings. Both of them were written and produced by Terius 'The-Dream' Nash and Carlos 'Los' McKinney. Rihannas seventh studio album has her collaborating again with David Guetta, Chase & Status, The-Dream, and StarGate, as well as newcomers Labrinth and Mike WiLL Made It. Two of the album's most intriguing, contrasting, and not-so-everywoman tracks appear consecutively during the latter half. Moments such as that one are so convincing that the few everywoman heart-on-sleeve songs - with the exception of the massive, slamming, wailing power ballad that is 'What Now' - don't sound all that natural. Wrapped in a serene sneer, Rihanna's trash talk is something else. This goes for 'Pour It Up,' a characteristically chilly and booming Mike Will collaboration that might as well be a sequel to 'Bandz a Make Her Dance,' the producer's hit with Juicy J. Continuing the trend that began on Rated R, Rihanna's at her best when she's flaunting. Not only is Unapologetic just as varied as Rihanna's past albums - it's another timely refresh of contemporary pop music - but it's a little more exploratory and a whole lot deeper, too. Even with that change of pace, the possibility of it signaling an overall change in direction was slight. She didn't go with a dramatic ballad like 'Russian Roulette' or a big dance number like 'Only Girl (In the World)' and 'We Found Love.' Instead, the nod went to a midtempo pop ballad, 'Diamonds' - as in 'We're like diamonds in the sky' (rather than stars in a mine), a simple and effective, light in meaning yet massive in sonics, quasi-processional. The singer took a different route with the lead single. In 2012, right on schedule, Rihanna delivered her fourth annual November album.
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