Review Roundup: Rihanna Good Girl Gone Bad

Rihanna’s third album Good Girl Gone Bad hits stores this Tuesday, June 5th. Here’s what critics are saying about her new CD.

Entertainment Weekly: Rihanna’s tangy tremolo is unmistakably reminiscent of early hip-hop-soul divas Monica and SWV’s Coko. At its finest, messiest moments, Good Girl Gone Bad is a thrilling throwback to more than a decade ago, when upstart producers haphazardly mashed R&B with hip-hop to create chunky jeep anthems such as Mary J. Blige’s ”Real Love.” Good Girl only goes bad when Rihanna tries her hand at treacly ballads and glum sentiment. B+

San Francisco Chronicle: On Good Girl Gone Bad, 19-year-old chanteuse Rihanna celebrates her three-album staying power by sexing up her image and diversifying her sound. Straight-up R&B gives way to a smorgasbord of styles, ranging from the hot and nasty dance vibe of “Push Up on Me” to the pop-rock bounce of “Shut Up and Drive.” 3 out of 5 stars

Guardian Unlimited: Best, though, is the Timbaland-produced “Lemme Get That”: preening and strutting over its languorous rhythm, she demonstrates that she’s at her best most relaxed. If only this had been the blueprint for the whole album. 3 out of 5 stars

The New York Times: This CD sounds as if it were scientifically engineered to deliver hits. The most puzzling moment is “Question Existing,” a moody (though not unpleasant) electronic soundscape near the end.