Rihanna: Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded
A few weeks ago, we asked the people what they wanted us to review. And the people spoke: We want Rihanna. So, without further ado, here is Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded.
Rihanna has always intrigued me a bit. She’s young, hella cute and seems to be fun. Maybe someone who could date my younger brother (I don’t have one, but if I did she could have him). She walks that fine line of nice girl/innocent sex kitten that’s pretty dang hard to pull off. (Remember how Britney Spears turned out after the wholesome girl thing?) In addition, she’s put out an incredible number of pop and hip-hop hits, most of which came off this CD, so I was a bit perplexed as to what tracks I’d find that I didn’t already know. Turns out, I uncovered a wealth of workout tunes.
The Track List: Rihanna, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded
1. Don’t Stop the Music—The first track on this CD isn’t your traditional track. Since this is the Reloaded version of Good Girl Gone Bad, this is a bonus track, and it’s a music video that you can play on your iPod or computer. Since I haven’t seen an actual video on MTV since I was in high school, this is pretty awesome. The video is pretty cute, but her love interest isn’t is not. He rocks a molestache. Ewww. And don’t worry, you’ll get a non-video version of this song on the CD, too.
2. Take a Bow—Another bonus track video where Rihanna is rocking her short ‘do. She’s quite the bad ass in it, telling a boy off and lighting his clothes on fire. And, I’m loving the star tatts on the back of her neck. Again, a regular music track follows later on the CD.
3. Umbrella—This is the song that put her on the map. It’s high energy and will get you moving for any high-paced activity. Sing along: Under my umbrella, ‘ella, ‘ella, ‘ella, ‘a, ‘a, ‘a…
4. Push Up on Me—Although this song is undeniably risqué and a bit dirty, it’s so awesome to run to. The beat is great, and I guarantee you’ll naturally pick your pace up during the song.
5. Don’t Stop the Music—See, I told you that you’d get this one in its non-video form. This is another great one to work out to and probably one you’ll recognize and be able to sing along with, especially in the parts where Rihanna gives a shout out to Michael Jackson’s Wanna be Startin’ Somethin’, which he sampled from the 1972 Manu Dibango single Soul Makossa. (Thank you, Wikipedia.)
6. Breakin’ Dishes—You might be a bit afraid of Rihanna after this one. In this quick-paced track that’s good for just about any type of moderate to intense cardio, she details exactly what she’s going to do to her man when he gets home late. It involves dishes, obviously, and the police. Maybe she shouldn’t date my imaginary brother…
7. Shut Up and Drive—The official song of Nascar in 2008, this song has been on the radio some and in commercials a lot. I would also imagine it’s played at Nascar events, but I haven’t braved one yet, so I can’t vouch for that. This tune is perfect for your high-intensity moves like sprints or for powering you through a challenging hill. After all, she’s telling you to basically shut up and go.
8. Hate That I Love You—On this slower track, Rihanna and Ne-Yo croon away about their love. It’s a sweet, cute little song that’s pretty clever. And it works well as both a cool down or a recovery song. A two-fer!
9. Say It—Another endearing love song, this one has a slighter higher tempo than the last one making it a perfect song for light cardio or recovery during your interval sessions. But beware, it has a strong beat that’s darn near impossible not to nod your head to.
10. Sell Me Candy—Stars these days seem to be obsessed with candy, and Rihanna is on board with the sugary trend. This one wasn’t my fave, and it’s a little forgettable, but it works fine for any moderate-paced activity.
11. Lemme Get That—I absolutely adore this song and sang it for a week straight. It has attitude, is fun to sing and is a bit reminiscent of a Fergie track, which in my mind is beyond fantastic. Save this one for when your energy is waning and you need a pick me up. It will get your fit bottom moving—I guarantee it!
12. Rehab—I feel like this one also taps in on a celebrity trend: rehab. The song is mildly clever and a little catchy, but not as good as some of her other tracks. However, this slower tune makes a good cool down pick.
13. Question Existing—At first you think this song is dirty, but don’t write it off from the first couple of lines about Rihanna undressing. (All the fit bottomed boys out there just drooled on their keyboards.) It’s actually a pretty deep, introspective song about the meaning of life. This is my best pick on the CD for a recovery song or a cool down. Good girl gone meditative.
14. Good Girl Gone Bad—This is the title track, and it’s another relatively deep and heartfelt song about how good girls go bad. (Namely because of bad men. Boo on cheating men.) Another good cool down song, but it kind of depresses me, so forgo it if you’re looking for a pick-me-up.
15. Disturbia—A fun, quick-paced tune, this one is the most recent one to hit the radio waves. Use it in your moderate, steady workouts. Don’t be disturbia-ed, just jam out.
16. Take a Bow—The second time to appear on the CD, this music-only track is good for a cool down. It’s a pretty intense song about a man cheating. Makes me wonder who the heck would wrong Rihanna? That’s one dumb boy.
Overall, if you thought this CD wasn’t worth purchasing because you believe you had already heard all of it on the radio, you’re wrong and missing out. —Jenn