A Girl Like Me

Rihanna's "Pon the Replay" was the jam of summer 2005, and with good reason: its Caribbean-flavored rhythms and infectious, singalong chorus made it nearly irresistible. The Barbados-born singer's full-length, MUSIC OF THE SUN, performed well on the strength of the single, and offered more of Rihanna's commercially tailored dancehall-pop.

A GIRL LIKE ME, Rihanna's sophomore release, is less overtly dancehall-influenced than its predecessor. Instead, the album makes a more straightforward play for mainstream R&B appeal. The album's lead-off single and video "SOS," for example, centers on a sample from Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love" (including the immediately recognizable laser-gun sound), making for a bouncy, sexy pop confection. "Unfaithful" is an R&B ballad that finds Rihanna in torch mode, and sounds like a hit in the making. While there's nothing quite as striking as "Pon the Replay" here, there is plenty to power Rihanna's rise up the charts.

What the critics say...

Rolling Stone (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he burning rock guitar of 'Kisses Don't Lie' and haunted strings of 'Unfaithful' help make A GIRL LIKE ME much more likable."
Entertainment Weekly (p.135) - "[With] effortlessly cool reggae-lite confections like 'Dem Haters' and 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'." -- Grade: B-