ARTIST: Rihanna
TITLE: “Russian Roulette”
WEB DEBUT: Oct. 20, 2009
ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: The first single from Rihanna’s fourth studio album, Rated R, is a track that the singer co-wrote with her frequent foil Ne-Yo. It starts off as a relatively minimalist ballad that’s rife with love-as-deadly-game metaphors, and blossoms into a fairly straightforward ballad that’s fairly reminiscent of the also-Ne-Yo-penned “Unfaithful.” Kind of an odd choice for a first single from what’s supposed to be a huge release for Island Def Jam; the more banging “The Wait Is Ova,” which was streaming from Rihanna’s site in the run-up to this song’s official release, seems like it would provide a more immediate hook—and fewer dicey firearm metaphors—for program directors and listeners. I guess we’ll see! In the meantime, let’s prognosticate over how many radio stations are going to keep the gunshot that closes out the song! Something tells me “not many.”
WHERE TO FIND IT: Well, it was supposed to be streaming from Ri Ri’s official site at 11:23 a.m., although that launch was delayed a bit. For now, you can get a stream at Rap Radar, or you can try hitting “play” on the widget below:
Pretty bland first single…first :16 remind me of a “cheaters” investigation.
@Bernard: bahahaha
I like it, though it is definitely not what I expected. And I was left with Britney’s “Out From Under” stuck in my head afterward, which is weird.
I hadn’t even heard of “The Wait Is Ova” as a song, I just thought it was her little teaser tagline. Where can I find it now?
since when are there dice in roulette?
and why do they keep trying to make her into some sort of dark, mysterious pop sensation? she’s not aaliyah.