Rihanna’s latest album, Unapologetic, seemed to be an ambitious stride for the pop star, but landed in all the wrong directions. After giving the album a try, I came to the conclusion that not only was it unapologetic, but also airless, nearly hookless, and exuded a deep melancholy leaving listeners in a funk.Given these qualities, it was hard not to wonder where else the album might have gone. If her pain and shame and can’t-quit-you-babe motif was delivered with some humor, perhaps many listeners, including myself, would have much rather listened to her autotuned, repeated lines than dozing off or doing that overdue essay. Even with humor to her words, I felt the singer lost herself somewhere in the albums tenth track “Nobody’s Business” where she addressed her life in the long shadow of her abusive relationship with Chris Brown. The basis of the tracks that followed, “Lost in Paradise” and the awful “Get It Over With”, further showcased any concern I might have for the pop star’s romantic choices, and had me feeling pity for not only her, but myself for listening to her tragic tales displayed in every song over and over.

If Rihanna had kept her personal drama to herself, sang about rolling fat joints on her bodyguard’s head, and did more duetting with lead singers of bands such as Coldplay, the singer would have stayed true to herself, and the album would have attracted a greater audience. On one hand, it was tempting to give Rihanna props for broadcasting her all-too-real shortcomings, but I felt she tried too hard to express her emotions, and rubbed our faces in the inconvenient, messy truth of her life which, even if it were done well, would be hard to celebrate as a success. The measurable failure is the album’s music. On a track-by-track basis, the songs make for dull labor, not worth our time and not befitting Rihanna’s talent.