While the rest of us try to catch up to Rihanna’s tremendous vision, Anti remains a slow-burning classic in the making. If you haven’t spent any time with this album yet — and I mean really spent some time with it — then you’re depriving yourself of one of the only good things in 2016’s otherwise garbage hellscape. The best song off Anti by a mile is the “Love On The Brain,” a classic R&B track that occupies the sexiest corner of mournful. And maybe things are turning around this year after all, because Rihanna announced via Instagram this yesterday by posting a clip of her performing it with the caption: “#nextsingle.”
“Work” is still dominating the charts, and while it’s sort of unlikely that this doo wop jam will do the same, it certainly will do more to establish the musical identity that Rihanna has built for herself on her latest album. First of all, this song proves that either she took some pretty insane voice lessons, or that she really could belt her heart out with the best of ’em all along.
It’s also fitting timing that such a classic track be released as a single right when the singer is about to be honored with a Vanguard award at this year’s VMAs. Odds are she’ll perform the song live there, considering she recently sang it at the Billboard Music Awards. Watch that performance below to tide yourself over until Sunday night’s show.
