Rated R

Who knew she had it in her?! Rihanna, the same girl known for disposable albeit catchy pop fare such as "Umbrella" and "S.O.S," returns with an album of actual substance. Carrying some serious baggage, no doubt acquired from her tumultuous relationship with Chris Brown, the princess adopts a harder, matured sound. Perhaps the tween fans will shake their heads in bewilderment but anyone who has written off Rihanna as a disposable pop tart should take a look at Rated R.

The woman of the hour hardly wastes any time here and basically comes out of the gate guns blazing. "I'm such a fucking lady," the damaged pop songstress sarcastically snipes on "Wait your Turn." She tells all the trash-talking hoes and wannabes to fuck off in the thunderous, menacing "Hard." "If I don't feel it, I ain't fakin, boy," she exclaims in the Janet-esque "Rude Boy," the only radio-friendly song on the album. The similar in theme "Rockstar" celebrates excess of all kinds, and she proclaims herself a gangster for life on "Fire Bomb" and "G4L."

Then comes the really heavy stuff. "Stupid in Love" is the first of many brooding ballads more than likely attributed to her former abusive lover Chris Brown. "My new nickname is idiot," she sneers in the second verse. That's nothing compared to the somber "Russian Roulette," set to the sounds of a revolver while she cries about whether she'll ever "see another sunlight." "Cold Case Love," written by Justin Timberlake, is an epic breakup song, making some very curious and chilling comparisons to the pop star's unfortunate domestic abuse incident. Rihanna finally gets the courage to say goodbye on "The Last Song," a rock-tinged album closer that's both haunting and vulnerable.

Rated R should be applauded for being everything that Good Girl Gone Bad isn't. There is hardly a top 10 radio hit anywhere on this disc, and the album seems to scoff at the notion. The whole thing oozes with pure rage, heartbreak, and turmoil. No one saw it coming, but Rihanna has managed to easily achieve her career best and perhaps one of the best pop albums of the year with Rated R.