They were a match made in heaven. A celebrity couple among the ranks of Jay-Z and Beyonce. Everything seemed perfect. Then, last February, these two stars were pitted against each other by the fans, the media, and THE WORLD. And now, nearly a year later, the two stars find themselves in yet another face off, but this time it doesn't include domestic violence. Instead, people all around the world are asking, "Who had the better album? Chris or Rihanna?" Now, before you say it: I KNOW I'M A TAD BIT LATE. These two albums were released towards the end of last year. But give me some slack, alright? I like to listen to an album multiple times before I pass judgement on it, and with a pairing like this? Come on now, I NEEDED TIME. But now I feel like I've given each album enough time to make themselves known to me, and I'm finally ready to pass judgement...Rihanna's album blew Chris' out of the water folks. To be honest, it wasn't even a competition. I just feel like I'm getting a more "stripped down", and vulnerable version of an artist from "Rated R" then I get from "Graffiti". But then again, you have to take into consideration where each artist is coming from with this album. One is from the viewpoint of a battered young starlet, and the other, from the viewpoint of the abuser with problems of his own. So OF COURSE the two albums will be different. But with that said, I still have to give props to Rihanna. She made the far better album. With "Rated R", you're immediately thrown into the world of a recovered abuse victim who's ready to show the world that she's back, and at her best. With songs like "G4L" (Gangster For Life), and "Hard", it's hard for anyone to grip the fact that this is the same Rihanna whose bruised face the world gazed upon just last year. This seems like "super-Rihanna", a fearless heroine who can take on anything. But this hybrid version of Rihanna also takes time to show her scars and express her vulnerability on tracks such as "Cold Case Love" and "Fire Bomb", where her rockstar image is suddenly torn away, revealing a woman who is, for lack of better terms, more believable. THAT is "Rated R" in an ever-so-concise nutshell. And now for "Graffiti". I must say, I was very skeptical of Chris Brown's comeback album even before listening to it. But after hearing "Crawl", I was convinced to listen to the whole album. I must say that I was impressed. From electro dance numbers such as "I.Y.A" (In Your Arms), to the seemingly Ragtime-inspired ballad, "I'll Go", "Graffiti" offers a wide spectrum of musical styles. But at the same time, I can't help but notice an underlying sense of arrogance in Brown's new music. Maybe I can blame songs like "Famous Girl"and "Lucky Me" for that. Another problem that I have with Chris' new album is the fact that is ends VERY quickly. Whereas Rihanna's album seems to take you all over the world and back, Chris' album seems to only take you around once. Maybe it's me though, who knows. But all in all, Chris put up a good fight with this album, however, it seems that this time, Rihanna finally had the last punch.
