Rhianna: Loud — review

Described by the Barbadian diva as the "the next step in the evolution of Rihanna", this fifth album more accurately asserts the return of good-time girl Rihanna following last year's murky, rage-fuelled Rated R . Thus glossy dance-pop juggernauts ("Only Girl (In the World)") sit alongside skittering dancehall grooves ("Raining Men"), while, on opener "S&M", she sets the lubricious tone with her maxim that "sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me". Sonically, it's fairly unremarkable – there are certainly no "Umbrellas" here – but its strident buoyancy is difficult to resist.