NEW
YORK
—
Rihanna
has
broken
her
silence
regarding
Chris
Brown's
February
assault
against
her
in
a
recent
series
of
interviews,
and
the
singer
told
MTV
News
that
her
album
will
have
a
mix
of
songs
detailing
the
"roller
coaster" of
emotions
she's
experienced
in
the
past
nine
months.
"It's
my
mini-movie,"
Rihanna
said
about
her
forthcoming
album.
"It's
really
honest,
at
times
vulnerable,
but
it
came
from
really,
really
deep
in
here
[points
to
heart].
I
just
feel
like
I
had
to
call
it
Rated
R,
'cause
it's
my
movie."
MTV
News
previewed
the
album
on
Tuesday
(November
10)
and
Rihanna's
description
is
certainly
accurate.
After
the
intro,
Rated
R
kick
starts
with
"Wait
Your
Turn" and
the
Young
Jeezy-assisted
"Hard."
The
material
matches
the
artwork
that's
been
released
for
the
project
so
far,
with
Rihanna
posturing
as
the
bad
chick.
"Tougher
than
a
lion/
Ain't
no
need
in
trying/
I
live
where
the
sky
ends,
yup,
you
know
this," Rihanna
sings
in
a
near-rap
flow
on
"Hard."
"Never
lying,
truth
telling/
That
Rihanna
reign
just
won't
let
up/
The
hottest
bitch
in
heels
right
here."
In
what
will
probably
be
referred
to
by
fans
as
the
"Chris
Brown
song,"
Rihanna
reveals
a
softer
side
of
herself
on
the
ballad
"Stupid
In
Love."
"I
still
love
you,
but
I
can't
do
this/
I
may
be
dumb
but
I'm
not
stupid," she
sings
on
the
Ne-Yo-penned
record.
"Stupid
In
Love"
recounts
a
story
of
distrust
over
lies,
raging
emotions,
and
lamenting
a
lost
love.
"The
dunce
cap
is
off/
You
don't
realize
what
you
lost
'til
I'm
gone/
I
was
the
one,"
Rihanna
croons.
The
pulsating
"Russian
Roulette" follows,
but
it's
the
next
series
of
selections
—
"Rock
Star,"
"Firebomb,"
and
"Rude
Boy"
—
that
fit
the
Rihanna
archetype
of
big,
bombastic
tracks
that
flaunt
her
sex
appeal.
"Rock
Star"
features
former
Guns
N'
Roses
guitarist
Slash.
With
its
mix
of
drum
kicks
and
guitar
licks,
Rihanna
revels
in
her
rebellion.
"I
got
my
middle
finger
up/
I
don't
really
give
a
f---."
"G4L"
is
another
posture
record
(the
acronym
is
short
for
"gangster
for
life"),
while
"Te
Amo"
is
the
Barbados
singer's
paean
to
her
international
audience.
The
album
once
again
turns
somber,
with
the
Will.i.am-assisted
"Photographs,"
where
Rihanna
laments
over
a
lost
relationship.
"It
shoulda
been
me
and
you/
now
all
I
got
is
these
photographs,"
she
sings.
"The
Last
Song"
is
just
that,
after
the
Justin
Timberlake-helmed
"Cold
Case
Love."
"Love"
begins
with
a
sparse
melody
and
gradually
builds
through
each
verse
before
it
crescendos
with
a
full
production
flourish.
Rihanna
recently
performed
material
from
the
album
for
the
first
time
during
a
surprise
appearance
on
Jay-Z's
tour
in
Los
Angeles
this
past
weekend.
The
"Umbrella"
star
spoke
to
MTV
News
about
the
appearance
and
said
she
was
both
nervous
and
excited
to
get
back
to
music.
She
said
Rated
R,
set
for
a
November
23
release,
will
be
the
beginning
of
a
"new
era."
"There
are
a
lot
of
butterflies,
a
lot
of
excitement,"
Rihanna
said
about
her
return
to
music.
"I'm
anxious.
Like,
I
can't
wait.
But
you're
always
nervous,
because
you're
about
to
go
do
something
big.
It's
a
new
thing,
a
new
era.
But
I'm
not
scared.
I'm
just
really
excited.
I
just
can't
wait
to
start."