Album Reviews |

Rhianna

Get On 7½ ( 2002 )
Oh Baby / Word Love / Moon Is Blue / Runaway / I Love Every Little Thing About You / Damm / Justify / Girlfriend / TLND / Romeo And Juliet

Hailing from Leeds, England - Rhianna has crafted this debut album with help from friends and family members, most notably her brother Leigh Kenny - but she is surely the star here. 'Oh Baby' is just glorious soul music and a clever nod to the likes of Phil Spector, although probably more accurately a nod to artists inspired by the Phil Spector 'Wall Of Sound' technique. Music critics have been falling over themselves with praise for this song. Three minutes and thirty seven seconds long but it sounds shorter than that and creates a yearning in this listener to wind back to the beginning and play it again. 'Oh Baby' fades in, it fades out to close - everything inbetween is glorious and catchy and Rhianna deserves to be a star. 'Word Love' is one of four writing collaborations here with her brother, and it's a great song with decent keyboard/piano parts and a cool soulful vocal. The bass lines are full and deep - the overall sound here as with 'Oh Baby' is never overproduced, yet remains full of sound. It's a good clever thing - a balancing act that she falls the right side of ( nearly ) every time. She covers a Stevie Wonder song 'I Love Every Little Thing About You', and her vocal sends chills down the spine. 'Moon Is Blue' is fast paced, yet relaxed and smooth at the same time. 'Damm' leans on UK urban music to create a funky musical backdrop full of groovy bass lines.

An impressive facet of this album is the sound and production. The music knows what its doing and the production doesn't get in the way. There has been no attempt at polishing and shining - the music sounds very natural and real. 'Oh Baby' may well be a repeat playable instant classic single, but even supporting material such as 'Justify' is a wonderful thing to listen to. There are weaker moments here, 'Girlfriend' sounds like its bordering on teen pop or Euro-Disco, not a welcome thing. The closing pair of 'Romeo And Juliet' and 'TLND' sound a little too laid back for their own good, but even with a lapse towards the albums close, 'Get On' remains an impressive debut.

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