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8.0
6662
8.0 |
The Times
...this cathartic album is the sound of a woman losing control — and then triumphantly regaining it
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8.0
6683
8.0 |
The List
Her most interesting work to date and definitely her most cathartic – Rated R will surprise and delight in equal measures
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8.0
6773
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
The songs are etched in somber shades and minor chords, with Rihanna belting over synths and booming beats. The results are a musical match for the black-on-black CD cover — goth R&B
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7.0
6891
7.0 |
NME
Despite the abundance of male influence on the record, from ex-boyfriend to songwriters to producers to mentors, Rihanna makes the sound her own, and fights back
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7.0
6778
7.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
...the album can be better appreciated for what it is, namely a better-than-average pop album. Its closest relation is perhaps P!nk’s admirable, but mostly forgotten Try This
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6.1
7015
6.1 |
Pitchfork
For a while, Rihanna lacked a compelling narrative but couldn't yawn without hitting the Top 10. Now her story is overflowing, but her songs aren't sticking as they once did
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6.0
6906
6.0 |
The Independent
...while Rihanna's Rated R doesn't exult in such resonances with the alacrity of Whitney Houston's I Look To You, it's a constant itch behind many of these songs
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6.0
6936
6.0 |
The Observer
It is the first of Rihanna's to warrant a parental warning sticker in the US. The album should be stickered because of the ugly electric guitars cluttering up the future-sex soundscapes
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6.0
6947
6.0 |
The Sunday Times
It’s a fine album, but a very public healing process
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6.0
6727
6.0 |
Daily Telegraph
Rated R is as slick, effective and emotionally engaging as a Hollywood action blockbuster
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6.0
6735
6.0 |
musicOMH
Rated R feels like that push of upper body strength to lift Rihanna up from the ground and back into the realms of where she belongs.
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6.0
6693
6.0 |
The Guardian
...there's more to her than the public's prurient interest in her private life. That you can't tell that more often from Rated R is the album's big flaw
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5.0
6774
5.0 |
Spin
Rated R succeeds when Rihanna works to her strengths: mid-tempo, middle American ballads.
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5.0
7187
5.0 |
PopMatters
She brings hints of techno, R&B, disco, hard rock, hip-hop, and pop-punk to this album, but rather than feeling like a masterpiece, it just feels undercooked
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4.0
6846
4.0 |
Eye Weekly
...she’d be better off confronting her demons in private rather than dragging us in with her
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4.0
6695
4.0 |
Evening Standard
Rihanna may be on the cusp of becoming a serious star but there's no need to take her music remotely seriously
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