Music of the Sun (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Rihanna (vocals); Elephant Man, Kardinal Offishall (vocals); Vybz Kartel, J-Status (rap vocals); Mikkel Se (various instruments); Carl Sturken (guitar, piano, keyboards, programming); Richard Locker (cello); Larry Glazener (bass instrument); Full Force, Sharina Sharpe (background vocals).

Given the proliferation of young and beautiful urban dance-pop divas dominating the radio and music video airwaves in 2005, it initially was tempting to discount Rihanna as yet another Beyoncé-Ciara-Ashanti cash-in. But like her Def Jam labelmate Teairra Mari -- another young and beautiful urban dance-pop diva who emerged out of nowhere in 2005 -- Rihanna is winsome rather than wannabe, thanks in no small part to her producers. Just as Teairra Mari benefited greatly from irresistibly shrewd beat-making on her debut album, Rihanna benefits from the knowing production work of Syndicated Rhythm Productions, aka Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, who together produced a laundry list of contemporary teen pop sensations during the prior decade. What these guys do that's so irresistibly shrewd is synthesize Caribbean rhythms and beats with standard-issue urban dance-pop: Caribbean-inflected urban, if you will. So while a song like "Pon de Replay" -- to pick the most obvious exhibit -- is driven by booming dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence (and title spelling), it's a simple dance-pop song at its core, with standard English-language singing as well as a can't-miss singalong hook (and a glitzy, urban-style MTV video to boot). The best songs on Music of the Sun follow this appealing template, including the similarly catchy few songs that follow the aforementioned album-opening smash hit: "Here I Go Again," "If It's Lovin' That You Want," and "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)." As with most albums of this ilk, Music of the Sun descends into faceless slow jams after a while, overall consistency not being among its attributes, but thankfully it picks up the pace toward the end of its 13-song run and concludes on a fun note, with a remix of "Pon de Replay" featuring Elephant Man. The result is one of the more engaging urban dance-pop albums of the year (and one of the most infectious summer jams, for sure), as well as a nice Caribbean primer for those not ready or willing to jump on the increasingly trendy dancehall and reggaeton bandwagons concurrently sweeping through America's more fashionable cities. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Taking its cue from the rhythms of dancehall and reggaeton, Rihanna's MUSIC OF THE SUN is a dance-pop record with enough distinctive accents and flavors to make it stand out from the crowd. Rihanna's debut takes island-influenced beats and Jamaican-inflected accents and superimposes them on straight-up contemporary R&B. The combination works nicely, as evidenced by "Pon de Replay," the album's incredibly infectious lead-off track and single. Rihanna effectively synthesizes reggae's cadences into her singsong melodies, bringing some of that genre's sunny beauty to the urban pulses of modern dance-pop, making MUSIC OF THE SUN a perfect soundtrack for the club dancefloor and outdoor summer parties alike. minimize