Rihanna - Anti -deluxe- -2016-album- -

Rihanna — ANTI (Deluxe, 2016) — Detailed Post

10. "Never Ending"

A melancholic acoustic guitar ballad. At this point in the standard album, the pace would drag, but the deluxe edition uses it as a calm before the storm.

11. "Love on the Brain"

The showstopper. A doo-wop/rock ‘n’ roll hybrid where Rihanna unleashes her inner Tina Turner. For the first time in her career, she belts for real—no Auto-Tune, no layering. The 2016 Album peaks here with raw, bruised vocal cords.

The Context of a "Blackout"

To understand the magnitude of ANTI, one must understand the context of its arrival. It had been over three years since Rihanna’s previous studio album, Unapologetic. In the modern music industry, a three-year hiatus for a superstar of her caliber is an eternity. The anticipation was feverish, yet Rihanna refused to rush. She teased the project with cryptic campaigns and the singles "FourFiveSeconds," "American Oxygen," and "Bitch Better Have My Money." Crucially, when the album finally dropped, none of these radio-friendly singles appeared on the standard tracklist. It was the first signal that ANTI was not made for the charts; it was made for the soul. Rihanna - ANTI -Deluxe- -2016-Album-

Side C: The Healing

9. "Same Ol’ Mistakes" A brave cover of Tame Impala’s "New Person, Same Old Mistakes." Rihanna didn't change much from Kevin Parker’s original, which was a shock. She simply layered her haunting vocals over the psychedelic rock instrumental. It works because she sounds lonely and lost in the synth layers.

10. "Never Ending" A folk-pop guitar ballad. It slows the tempo down to a crawl. For an artist known for "S&M," singing about the quiet pain of solitude ("I try to find a heartbeat... I'll be waiting") shows immense growth. Rihanna — ANTI (Deluxe, 2016) — Detailed Post 10

11. "Love on the Brain" The doo-wop, 50s-inspired belter. This is the "vocal song" for the doubters. Rihanna proves she can sang. It’s raw, bruised, and theatrical. It became a late-blooming hit years after the album’s release.

12. "Higher" Recorded in one take, reportedly after a night of drinking. You can hear the slur in her voice. It’s an explicit, desperate piano ballad where she tells a lover she isn't "a model" or "a traditional woman." It’s the most vulnerable moment on the album. Vibe: Distorted, industrial trap

13. "Close to You" A short, sweet farewell. It loops back to the softness of "Never Ending." The album seems to fade out like a lullaby.

16. "Sex with Me"

The viral smash. Built over a sample of “Work,” this track became a meme and a classic. “Sex with me is amazing.” It is confident, boastful, and sexually frank. Closing the Rihanna - ANTI (Deluxe) - 2016 Album with this track leaves the listener smiling rather than melancholy.

6. Woo

• Vibe: Distorted, industrial trap.
• The Lowdown: Perhaps the most polarizing song on the album. It is jarring, loud, and intentionally unpretty. It features production by Travis Scott. It represents the "dark side" of the album perfectly.
• Key Lyric: "I played the fool for you, yes I did."

4. Work (feat. Drake)

• Vibe: Dancehall-inspired pop-R&B.
• The Lowdown: The massive hit of the album. It spent 9 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The "galang galang" hook and Jamaican patois divided critics initially but became a global earworm. It is the most "commercial" track on the album but fits the Caribbean heritage Rihanna often explores.
• Key Lyric: "If you had a twin, I would still choose you."