All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Los Angeles Times

A complex and fascinating portrait of a young woman's emotional process after enduring abuse.

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Billboard.com

Rihanna may have been a good girl gone bad on her 2007 album, but on her new one, she's a good girl gone bad-ass.

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The Phoenix

Throughout this emotional maelstrom of an R&B; album, Rihanna keeps finding gripping new ways to transform regret into a kind of threat.

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Chicago Tribune

Nothing else on the album can top 'Russian Roulette,' but they certainly complement it, and make its startling conclusion feel sadly inevitable.

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Slant Magazine

When Rated R ends on an unresolved chord, the sentiment carries over into Rihanna's pop persona. Let's hope that this doesn't mean she's about to back off and start working on her All for You.

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Rolling Stone

Rihanna has transformed her sound and made one of the best pop records of the year.

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The New York Times

It’s a bleak, adamant album that’s both brave and skillful.

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New Musical Express (NME)

Despite the abundance of male influence on the record, from ex-boyfriend to songwriters to producers to mentors, Rihanna makes the sound her own, and fights back.

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NOW Magazine

Rihanna is at her most adventurous, and while we’re not completely convinced that all the wailing hard rock guitars suit her, the aggression makes sense within the context of the album.

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All Music Guide

Whether the album seems ridiculous or spectacular (or both), Rihanna’s complete immersion in the majority of the songs cannot be disputed. That is the one thing that is not up for debate.

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Entertainment Weekly

Rated R rarely delivers Top 40 fodder. Instead, it's a raw, often unsettling portrait of an artist who is, she insists, no longer a Girl at all.

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RapReviews.com

It is very dense and maybe needed more melodies to help digest it all. Adding to that, the production at times lets her down, ranging from excellent to average, with a couple of songs that could well have worked better as skits.

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Boston Globe

What works as therapeutic psychodrama for the singer doesn’t always work quite as well as pop music, which, from the shiny surfaces, it’s clear everyone here is still striving for.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

Rihanna has released a flawed album that may shrink under the weight of her biography, but it also succeeds when approached more directly, superficially.

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Pitchfork

Based on Rated R, Rihanna's artistic aspirations are currently loftier than her abilities. Then again, her tenacity in the face of the unimaginable public humiliation this year is beyond brave.

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The Guardian

In the absence of a song as undeniable [as 'Umbrella'], they try a number of approaches, with varying success.

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musicOMH.com

We have an album that opts to cater for the variety of fans that flock to support Rihanna in her time of trouble. It's a diverse work. But this so happens to be its biggest setback.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Much of its music is a dull wash, difficult to differentiate even across several plays, and not especially compelling outside of the real-life drama the singer examines and exploits. The exceptions are songs that have nothing to do with the Brown affair.

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PopMatters

She brings hints of techno, R&B;, disco, hard rock, hip-hop, and pop-punk to this album, but rather than feeling like a masterpiece, it just feels undercooked.

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Spin

Rated R, Rihanna's first album since her brutal confrontation with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, wants to recast her as a searing woman scorned. It doesn't quite take.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 102 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jon H. gave it a9:
Rhianna is flirting with greatness, on this album

Monique S. gave it a9:
Her best album yet, Personal favorite 'Fire Bomb'.

A. R gave it a10:
It's an exceptional record from a pop star who just two year ago was making metaphors with umbrellas. Rated R shows Rihanna's growth as an artist. I'm happy that there is still some meaningful pop music.

Rodrigo M gave it a10:
This album is great. The record is lirically better than Good Girl Gone Bad, and although this is more "pop-sad" than her previous albums, it is still catchy and addictive. The best songs are Russian Roulette, Stupid in Love and Rude Boy, but the rest is very good too. Near a masterpiece.

DJ gave it a9:
I love this CD. She needed a change from kiddy-pop!

MIke B. gave it a10:
This is what happens when artists are able to take more control over their music. She gave us something different. Her bajan accent is in full force and she plays with her lower register like no one I've ever heard. When I first listened to it I immediately compared it to her last album GGGB. But I realized there is no comparison, these are two completely different albums, though she still gives us enough of what she has done so well in the past. Now I can't stop listening to it! I'm obsessed! I hope everyone gives Rated R a chance and listen to every track before you write it off. RiRi is back but she definitely shed her little miss sunshine image and grew up. Best album of 2009 for sure! So everyone needs to stop buying all of these Number 1's and re-released albums!! SUPPORT RIHANNA!! => My Top 5 Songs: 1. Cold Case Love 2. Te Amo 3. Russian Roulette 4. Rude Boy 5. Photographs.

Coco E gave it an8:
This is a nice break from what is on the radio right now. I am so tired of all the dancey club music. Now the warning at the start of this CD serves notice and is true--this CD is not for everyone. This is an aggressive and bold CD. And if you listen to it in context of someone going through a ton of emotions related to a brutal break up, media intrusion etc., it all makes sense. Stand out cuts: The Last Song, Fire Bomb (this should be a single), Stupid In Love, Cold Case Love, Russian Roulette, Rock Star 101 & Photographs. There are a lot of emotions on display and Rihanna owns them all. This is a better reflection of what she can do as an artist than "Good Girl Gone Bad." You can tell that GGGB was made with radio hits in mind, but that is not the case with this CD. This is one of those rare "I don't give a damn..." CDs that a mainstream artist makes once and awhile. "Fire Bomb" should be the next single. This CD will not do as well on the charts but I hope Rihanna isn't detered from pushing the envelope because of that!!! Rihanna should keep following her heart and eventually, radio will catch up to her.

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