According to Metacritic, “Unapologetic,” Rihanna’s latest studio album, is receiving “generally favorable” reviews. This mild nomenclature sums up “Unapologetic” quite well: there isn’t a whole lot to object to, per se, but you can’t say a whole lot about the album. There was too much talent involved — Benny Blanco and David Guetta both lent a hand in production — for the album to totally bomb, but apparently not enough talent to do anything but rehash the same combination of vaguely EDM–inspired beats, autotuned vocals and dubstep invocations that have dominated pop for too long. The most distinguishable track is “Nobody’s Business,” featuring Chris Brown(!), which cranks out a deliciously 80s beat with much success. Guetta gives “Right Now” a forgettable house beat, while Eminem provides a welcome cameo in “Numb,” one of the album’s stronger tracks. The goal of any pop album is to be catchy and accessible; in this respect, "Unapologetic" succeeds. However, it seems to lack other ambitions, and seems destined to be forgotten.
2/5 stars
