Rihanna – Loud

Loud feels like damage control after last year’s Rated R, arguably Rihanna’s best album but one that yielded only one genuine hit (Rude Boy). There are definitely a few future singles among the 11 tracks here, but as a whole, the collection lacks cohesion compared to previous efforts. Still, you can expect to hear a lot of the saucy opener S&M, Avril Lavigne-sampling drinking anthem Cheers (Drink To That) and the epic power ballad California King Bed in 2011. The only real gripe? Her addictive David Guetta collaboration, Who’s That Chick, is mysteriously absent.