Rihanna - Umbrella

Jaie Miller

Well-known member
Mostly, when I first heard this track, on Radio1, it was enjoyed. One of the things that I noticed was that, hers is a voice that in parts, would be difficult to replicate, if one was a smoker for example.
 

Guybrush

Dittohead
I like the album so far, even though none of the songs exactly scream «classic» (but then I hated «S.O.S.», so don’t take my word for it...). It’s like the Ciara album done right: less soulless bangers and more variety («Don’t Stop the Music» is full-on euro-cheese, with a very familiar sample). Favourite so far: the low-key «Say It», with a marvellously slick production. Actually, I’m not sure there is much of a tune there, but ear-candy goes a long way.
 

gumdrops

Well-known member
i love this song now. hate jay-z on it but i love the rest. i was wrong about it being tuneless. its quite brilliant. great lyric too. very slow and the drums are almost led zep like in their bigness. i could see a dubstep remix of this being good.
 

Immryr

Well-known member
much to my own surprise (and that of my friends) i have found myself getting into (some) poppy rnb stuff lately. and i have been finding myself guiltily listening to this song quite abit. i agree that jay z isnt really needed here, but he doesnt bother me that much.
 

gumdrops

Well-known member
ive heard it about 50 times in the last couple of days. theres a youtube version with jay-z on it but i cant find the audio of it anywhere :(
 

Pulchritude

Active member
It sounds like The Cranberries. I don't know why people aren't shooting themselves in the streets over Ciara's 'Like A Boy', it's the best vocal production I've ever heard.

I don't think it's the vocal production but there is something about that track that I really really like. I'm really not a Ciara fan, but the first time I heard it, I loved it (it sounds best with the volume turned right up).
 

dHarry

Well-known member
It does sound a bit like the dreaded Cranberries with a pointless Jay Z intro, with the caveat that it's absolutely brilliant as well as bonkers (ella/ella/ella/eh/eh/eh - eh?) - this, Fergie's Glamorous and Timbo/Furtado/JT's Give It To Me are owning the radio waves right now, and as an added bonus every play starves an indie dullard of oxygen/light.
 
Last edited:

Tim F

Well-known member
This is so obviously the pop song of the year so far.

I'm surprised that so many posters seem to go out of their way to dismiss stuff like this. I know Dissensus has always been a bit stiff when it comes to pop but I thought peeps were a bit more cluey.
 

Guybrush

Dittohead
I'm surprised that so many posters seem to go out of their way to dismiss stuff like this. I know Dissensus has always been a bit stiff when it comes to pop but I thought peeps were a bit more cluey.

I can only speak for myself, but I find it annoying when a select group of people first rashly crown a song with the «pop song of the year so far» coronet and then become peevish when it turns out not everyone approves of their snap judgment. The praise for «Crazy», «Maneater» and «LDN» last year was far more unanimous, I seem to recall, and the same goes for the buzz about «1 Thing» and «Pon de Replay» in the spring of 2005. I think that goes to prove that when the «pop song of the year so far» does appear, its excellence is mostly not contested all that much. This, in turn, could suggest that you are all wrong about «Umbrella», but who knows.
 

Tim F

Well-known member
it's not the "not feeling this" comments i'm talking about so much as "lol bad 80s rock" etc. Best pop song of the year so far for me obviously, yr mileage may vary, what I'm referring to is the implication this thread gives that not only is this song not good but could not possibly be good because it's a big pop ballad.

My review of this said:

What makes this the best pop song so far this year? Certainly not Jay-Z’s rap; it’s all about the crashing monolith of the song itself, a power-ballad propelled by crushing old-skool drums and cascades of synthesisers, plus a surprisingly intense performance from Rihanna that makes this the most directly affecting R&B track since Beyonce’s Irreplaceable. The two songs are exact opposites, content-wise: Umbrella appears to be a vow of friendship in the face of a failing affair, and perhaps it’s the fact that modern R&B usually can’t talk about such things that makes this so special. If thematically Umbrella resembles That’s What Friends Are For or Have A Little Faith In Me, it distinguishes itself with its extremity: rather than depict the comfort of reliability, Rihanna pits her fidelity against the elements – this literally sounds like a thunderstorm. Great, melodramatic lyrics too: “Said I’ll always be your friend/took an oath, I’m a stick it out ‘til the end.” Rihanna, I got your back too.
 
Top