Fuck holding your eye.

So this afternoon along with a selected handful of critics, YN got to sit in Antonio Reid’s plush office and listen to Ri-Ri’s new album out of his Genelec Speakers. My BB and Iphone stayed in my pockets and I had to go hand-to-hand with my notes. So forgive me if the future proves my observations wrong. Here we go.

Mad House
Intro interlude. Slow plodding. Brief. No lyrics. Dark. Sets tone for record which is really cohesive.

Wait Your Turn
Sounds good through L.A.’s speakers.

Hard
Sounds really good through L.A.’s speakers.

Stupid In Love
Wonder who this one’s about? Finger snapping groove. Mid-tempo. First verse, she goes “Don’t treat me like I’m stupid”. 2nd verse something about her being an idiot. Her friends have told her he is not one. 3rd verse, she talks about him “actin’ like a jerk”. Something about a “dunce cap”. Hook goes: “I may be young but I’m not stupid. I’m not stupid in love”.

Russian Roulette
Can’t believe some of y’all are still frontin’ on this.

Rockstar
Features Slash on guitar. “I told you baby”. She’s in full swag mode. Talkin’ about clothes she’s rockin’. She’s at a party with her girls and everyone’s clockin’. Got her “middle finger up”. She talks about the “big city. bright lights”. All she’s “missing is a guitar”? She’s a shit talkin’, six-inch heel wearer. Something about bra and panties. Hook goes: “Baby, I’m a rock star. Hey baby, I’m a rock star”.

Fire Bomb
First joint I’m not feelin’. This one actually has heavier guitars and more of a rock element than “Rockstar”. Heavy car metaphor throughout. There’s references to “lovers need to clear the road” and “where we’re goin’ we don’t need no breaks”. Ambulance talk. Gasoline. Revved up engines. One big flat tire if you ask me.

Rude Boy
Back to the fun Ri-Ri. She’s out on the town lookin’ for a new man. A rude boy who can “take it, take it”. Slightly different vocal tone in first verse. “Giddy up. Give it to me baby. Give it to me harder. Buckle up.” Yup a lot of car references. “I like the way you pull my hair”. Woah. Ok, I’m blushin’. Think she says “muthafuckin'”. Really potty mouth on this disc. She’s such a fuckin’ lady.

Photographs
A true collabo with Will.i.Am about missing past lovers. Hook goes: “All I got are these photographs. All I got is nothin’ without you”. Acoustic in the intro. Heavy bass. First verse she says, “It could’ve been you and me”. Drums kick in 2nd verse real BEP style. Will’s vocals come in on bridge addin’ a lil male perspective on the matter. He reminisces on he and a special lady on her “grandma’s sofa kissin'”. Ah, young love.

G4L
The title stands for “Gangsta For Life,” which takes a long time to reveal itself. This begins the real dramatic soap opera side of the CD. She sings about “guns in the air” . “I’m ready to roll”. “We don’t play that shit nigga”? Um, ok? Dramatic outro at end she purrs, “Revenge is sweet”.

Te Amo
Cute but cheesy. It’s real Mama Don’t Preach. “Don’t let love hurt you,” a wise woman warns her. She repeats the title plenty and often.

Cold Case Love
This is the Justin contribution. He does his best Timbaland impersonation with a overly-produced and arranged wall of electronic sounds. She’s on a “dark and burning road”. She’s most angry here. This is the big FU CB tune. “What you did to me wasn’t right?” Now that’s an understatement. “We lost in love”. Quality lyrics but too damn long.

The Last Song
I can’t stand this clunker. “Time to turn off the last song,” she keeps repeating. And I wish I coulda done just that. More wailing guitars. A bad ending to a good album.