By Vishal Manglani – Staff Reporter

Rihanna is starting to blow up in the hip hop and R&B industry with the release of her new album “ANTI”. Before this, she has been featured in hit songs such as “FourFiveSeconds” with Kanye and Paul McCartney. Recently, she has topped charts with multiple songs off the album “ANTI”

Rihanna has shown her success through her new songs “Desperado,” “Work,” and “Needed Me,” which are all in the Billboard Top 5.

Rihanna’s traditional style is rhythmic and melodic. Her songs like “Umbrella,” released in 2007, are prime examples of the basis of her music. This melodic tone has stayed persistent as she advanced through her career.

However, she has modernized the style of her music in her new album. Her rhythm is now matched by heavy beats and her soul tone has morphed into one that matches today’s popular artist’s style such as Fetty Wap. Her songs are about love and being dominant. This has been her focal point through the years of her career.

On the album, Rihanna transitions from a slow and mellow tone to a fast and modern tone.

Rihanna’s most popular song of the album is “Work” featuring Drake. The song is infused with rasta and R&B tones and lyrics. The song is about love and how she would cherish a loved one with a second chance.

However, she has more mellow songs in “ANTI” such as “Close to You” which has a slow pace with a elegant piano tone throughout. The song is about love for someone and dedication to keep them safe whether they need it or not.

Rihanna sings with soul in a majority of her songs. The most prominent one is “Higher”. In songs like these, she displays the power of her voice and hides the mellow tone of the music. She transitions from this tone in the next song, “Never Ending” where she sings with a fast pace and over a guitar instead of a mellow piano. She reaches a modern tone in the song “Same Ol’ Mistakes” where the music transitions from instruments to beats and her voice becomes more rhythmic.

Rihanna shows an impressive use of tone and tempo in the album. In the song “Needed me” she shows an impressive display of the reaches of her voice. She reaches high pitches and a repeating tempo. Not only does she reach a variety of tones, but she is powerful when going to new heights in her music.

Rihanna’s music is only becoming more and more popular. The increase in her success and modernization of her tone will lead to more songs to be released that top charts around the country.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars