Rihanna: 'Rude Boy'

Like decorating a birthday cake or planning a big night out, it's easy to over-think things when reviewing a pop single. Take the newbie from Rihanna. On the one hand, 'Rude Boy' can be construed as a winning synthesis of her Island-pop beginnings, the effortless hitmaking of the Good Girl Gone Bad era and the more menacing persona she's unveiled post-Grammygate.

On the other, it's just a damn good tune. Produced by the seemingly unlikely combination of Stargate and Pendulum's Rob Swire, it's the most instantly catchy moment from her Rated R album, a dancehall-inflected delight that takes all of ten seconds to get to the hook. Ri, meanwhile, is the the raciest she's ever been, instructing the titular brute to "give it to me baby like boom boom boom", promising to "turn his body out" and repeatedly inquiring as to whether he's "big enough". Given her current form, the correct answer would be: "Not for you, but I'll give it a go."


> Click here to read our review of Rihanna's album