There isn't a big enough adjective to aptly describe Rihanna's summer 2007 hit, Umbrella. The ubiquity of the song and the fact that the noun "umbrella" will forever be trailed by a faint "ella ella" shows how successful the song and subsequently Rihanna was since she ditched the Caribbean tinge and chopped off the curly locks in favour of an asymmetric bob and vinyl hot pants. The album was Good Girl Gone Bad, and it was thought that Rihanna could never replicate the success of her big single - but she did. Next came Don't Stop the Music, Hate That I Love You and the innuendo-laden Shut Up and Drive. Apparently, inviting potential suitors to check under her hood is exactly what Rihanna needed to move her from C-list semi-somebody to A-list superstardom. To mark the one-year anniversary of the original Good Girl Gone Bad, Rihanna released the album's Reloaded version, featuring new songs. Among them were her Maroon 5 collaboration, If I Never See Your Face Again, Disturbia and the current chart hit, Take A Bow. The new tracks are everything you want pop to be, and are a testament to the power of the original record and to the new Rihanna.
Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded - Rihanna (Def Jam Records)
CD review The new additions are everything you want pop to be, and are a testament to the power of the original record and to the new Rihanna, Waleed K Hafeez says.
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