I like the sweet Rihanna. And we get her in abundance on new single, “You da One.” With “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris still bouncing at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Rihanna switches from the pulsating electro-pop of that opening salvo from “Talk That Talk,” to dub-sweetened pop.
The mid-tempo swayer is anchored by an insistent beat and a cascading chorus with an adorable stutter step. Rihanna has it bad for a boy who supports her and doesn”t let her run away from love. And before she knows it, she”s hooked and she”s dreaming about him “all da-a-a-ay.”
[More after the jump…]
The breakdown turns the song from sweet to sexy as she puffs up her boy”s, uh, ego, by saying, “You shouldn”t have given it to me good like that/shouldn”t have hit it like that/had me yelling like that” over a dense, slightly industrial wash.
Dr. Luke produced the track and it”s a nice switch from his usual formula. It”s more interesting that a lot of the stuff we”ve heard from him lately. Given that his new Sony label deal will keep him from working with artists on other labels, like Rihanna, we should appreciate it while we can, although Rihanna has always found an interesting raft of producers to work with. In addition to Dr. Luke and Harris, who produced “We Found Love,” other producers on the project include Stargate, Bangladesh and The-Dream.
“Talk That Talk,” Rihanna”s sixth studio album, comes out Nov. 21, and also includes a track called “Drunk On Love,” which samples “Intro” from British co-ed act The xx. (you may recall “Intro” from its use in the ubiquitous AT&T commercial featuring Apolo Ohno during the 2010 Olympics.
The question for Rihanna is how many steps closer will the singles from “Talk That Talk” get her to setting the Hot 100 record for most No. 1s? As you know, with “We Found Love,” her tally now stands at 11, nine away from tying the Beatles” record of 20.
What do you think of “You da One?”