The last thing I expected to find in my music collection is a pop/R&B album. I’ve never been a big fan of soul lovin’ or booty bumpin so I never really got into the whole R&B/Pop scene. HOWEVER, that being said, I finally picked up Rihanna’s second album “A Girl Like Me” as I had heard nothing but hype and I had to see for myself what all the excitement was about. After listening to the whole thing last night and this morning I have come to 2 conclusions. 1. There is not a bad song on this album and 2. Rihanna is going to be around for a VERY long time. I did not pick up her first album but after listening to “A Girl Like Me” I’m going to pick it up on my way home.

“A Girl Like Me” kicks off with the song “SOS”. “SOS” uses the electro-funk of Soft Cell's '80s classic "Tainted Love" to create one amazing song. Rihanna’s delivery is excellent and her voice is just amazing!

“Kisses Don’t Lie” comes in 2nd and blends elements of Reggae, Rock and R&B. It’s a very fun song and again the vocals are excellent.

Hit single “Unfaithful” starts off with piano and strings reminiscent of an old Journey song. This is the best song on the album both lyrically and musically. It is a haunting anthem of the pain being unfaithful can cause as Rihanna sings.. I don't wanna do this anymore /I don't wanna be the reason why /Everytime I walk out the door /I see him die a little more inside.

“We Ride” follows “Unfaithful” and is a typical R&B song. Instrumentally it’s stripped down as the main focal points of this song are the vocal melodies. Still a very good song.

“Dem Haters” chalks in at 5th on the tracklisting and is best described as a Reggae duet between Rihanna and fellow Barbados countrymen Dwane Husbands. This is an excellent song and both Rihanna and Dwane give subtle but great vocal performances.

“Final Goodbye” reminds me of the Seal song “Kiss From A Rose”. It has that slow soulful quality to it and Rihanna stretches her vocals a little bit showing just how versatile her voice is.

“Break It Off” is definitely a booty bumpin’ track to be sure. Featuring Hennesy spokesman and weed hound Sean Paul this song will get you off your butt.

“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” featuring J –Status is another heavily reggae influenced song.

“Selfish Girl” is a reggae song. There is no R&B influence here this is solely a slow reggae jam and it is Awesome! Musically it reminds me of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” excellent song.

“P.S. (I’m Still Not Over You)” This is one of the weaker songs on the album. It is by no means a bad song, but it lacks a little bit towards the end.

“A Girl Like Me” starts off with an accoustic guitar and turns into a slow jam. Again, it’s a good song just seems to lack something towards the end.

“A Million Miles Away” is another slow jam but unlike tracks 10 and 11 this song is strong right up to the very end.

BONUS TRACK: “If It’s Lovin That You Want Part 2 featurng Corey Gunz. This is a decent track being that it’s a bonus I don’t count it among the album tracks which is good because while it is a decent song it isnt on par with the regular songs on the album.


My final words: This album is AMAZING!!!! Coming from someone who was raised on heavy metal that’s saying something. I believe Rihanna is going to have a very long career and I think it’s going to be a memorable one at that. She has definitely put Barbados on the musical map and I expect nothing but greatness from her.