A fresh new female face of reggae has hit the USA, compliments of Jay-Z and Def Jam, and to the vacationing producer and his wife who stumbled upon Rihanna in her home turf in Barbados.

Lucky to be in the right place at the right time with the right voice and song, Rihanna captured the dance scene with her catchy single "Pon De Replay", a dancehall track with Sean Paul type rhythms, and Lumidee appeal.

To lovers of Caribbean music, this is standard fare, played at parties everywhere, and although the rest of the album is likeable, there's nothing spectacular. The second track "Here I Go Again" is what we call "Lover's Rock", with a beat as old as the hills, a genre that inspired millions of bump and grind slow dances. "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" is another Lover's Rock remix, and although she's only 17, she sounds much older singing this type of ballad.

"Music of the Sun" is a good track, with a chorus sounding like Debarge's "Rhythm of the Night"

Debarge:

Feel the beat of the rhythm of the night

dance until the morning light

Forget about the worries on your mind

you can leave them all behind

feel the beat of the rhythm of the night..

oohh the rhythm of the night...ooohh yeah

Rihanna:

Can you feel the music in the air

Let the rise of the rhythm take you there

It doesn't matter who are or where you from

Come and dance to the music of the sun

Forget about your troubles it's alright

Let `em know that you see the morning light

Hear the beat and the bodies move as one

Come and dance to the music of the sun

Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel add a little spice to the album, and other buzz-worthy songs are the dance friendly "Rush", "Let Me" and the pumping "Pon De (Replay Mix )" featuring Elephant Man.

Not a bad debut album from the young Bajan girl from the land of Sun, Surf and Sand.

Amanda Richards, September 17, 2005

Rihanna, a new artist signed to Jay-Z's Def Jam, comes with a straight fire debut. She combines R&B and Caribbean/Reggae together and it comes out great. Definately a great buy which everyone needs to purchase.

Pon De Replay - 10/10 - The first single, and everyone's heard it. Definately fire.

Here I Go Again - 8.5/10 - Not the best beat, but Rihanna kills it!

If It's Lovin' That You Want - 7/10 - Nice beat, but not a good performence by Rihanna. Not my choice for the second single.

You Don't Love Me (No, No, No) - 5/10 - How many times has this song been redone? Jae Millz definately killed his version though. Anyway, Rihanna does do a good job on the chorus, and I just don't like the verses, along with the beat and the whole vibe of it.

That La la La - 9/10 - A CRAZY beat, which Rihanna gets a good chorus over. Nice job.

The Last Time - 9/10 - A slower song with a soothing guitar. A breakup song basiclly. The R&B side, which this song she pulls off great.

Willing To Wait - 6/10 - Another R&B song, which isn't too good this time around. Seems like it lasts forever, which isn't a good sign.

Music of the Sun - 7/10 - Being that the album title is basiclly Music of the Caribbean, I would predict a much more up-tempo song here like earlier in the album. But, no. It's still okay, a little more up-tempo than the last two songs, but it's not good, a little repetitive. More like an intro, or at least a song early in the album, not halfway through.

Let Me - 7/10 - A nice start, and Rihanna jumps in and kills it! Nice beat, and a more R&B inspired Hip-Hop kind of song. Really reminded of Amerie. If I heard this on the radio, I might've thought it was her! But, doesn't flow with the rest of album, and sort've thwrows you off.

Rush ft. Kardinall Offishall - 7/10 - Nice performence by Kardinall, and a nice beat, but another R&B/Hip-Hop Rihanna, which doesn't sound too good. This song is much better than "Let Me", though.

There's A Thug In My Life - 10/10 - My favorite song on the whole album! Crazy song, I'm speechless after hearing it.

Now I Know - 9/10 - A piano is the background, and Rihanna really shows off her voice. That's nice, but it's more Alicia Keys's type, not my favorite, especially at 5:01. I'm giving a high rating because how strog Rihanna's voice is, and how good she does on this song. It's not a song I'll be repeating too often though.

Pone De Replay (Replay Mix) ft. Elephant Man - 9/10 - Not as good as the original, but Elephant Man does do decent. Sizza!

I'm quite pleased with this album. I like that fact that she stuck with her reggae roots and gave the album a little reggae vibe. Here voice at times does sound a little off but the beats are decent and the quality is decent. She doesn't swear or use profanity which is good. Definitely worth it.

This is something different coming from Def Jam, but I love it. Pon Da Reply was definitely a hit of the summer and the other songs will help bring in the fall. I would describe this album as a mix of Caribbean and R&B. It's a great CD for hanging out. My favorite tracks are Pon Da Replay (original and remix),Here I Go Again, If It's Lovin' that You Want, You Don't Love Me(No! No! No!), Music of the Sun, Rush and There's A Thug In My Life (familiar beat). The only flaw I see with Rihanna is that she doesn't have a lot of passion in her voice or performances. I think she can improve. Great debut!

This year, for the most part has been a year where many new contemporary R&B artists have made their debuts and they have been overall very well put together. There have also been some strong returns (aka Amerie's excellent "TOUCH"). Rihanna's debut is no different from excellent offerings from Teairra Mari (ROC-A-FELLA PRESENTS...) and Keyshia Cole (THE WAY IT IS, which is ultimately a combination between contemporary R&B, Urban, and neo-soul). Rihanna, again separates herself from other contemporary artists because she chooses to include tropical influences (Carribbean) mixed with R&B/Dance-Club type music. For the most part, Rihanna pulls this off very well.

Production for the most part throughout this album is very strong. Most notably, it is strongest on the dance tunes as opposed to the balladry. Where the balladry is concerned, the production feels as if it is to spare to serve as an effective backdrop for Rihanna's vocals. With that said, ballads like "The Last Time" and "Willing To Wait" are pretty, but they feel like they're missing a little heart, soul, and emotion. Furthermore, "Now I Know" is pretty as well, but it is too slow and makes the album lose momentum towards the end. Luckily, "Pon De Replay Remix" feat. Elephant Man revives the album and ends it on a high not. Despite the mishaps of the included ballads, Rihanna does show off her vocals, which are well developed for her young age of 17, but still have to achieve more maturity (Keyshia Cole & Fantasia, who are slightly older than Rihanna are more mature vocally).

The true highlights of MUSIC OF THE SUN are the dance tunes. The ubiquitous "Pon De Replay" is definitely a catchy, well produced single. While it is a great first single, great summer single, and probably the strongest album track, it may not quite the caliber of say Ciara's "Goodies", Amerie's "1 Thing", J.Lo's "Get Right", or Beyonce's "Crazy in Love", yet it does give each of those singles a run for their money.

"Here I Go Again" is personally my favorite. It has the reggae production going for it and it is a nice mid-tempo lazy feel to it. I think that it would be a wonderful choice for a single at some point for Rihanna. The third selection from the album, "If It's Loving That You Want" is another great selection. "You Don't Love Me" isn't bad, but it isn't in my top 3 of best tracks. "That La, La, La" is an infections, well,yet simply produced number that would also be a credible single choice. The other selections don't evoke as much excitement as the best. "Let Me" is a decent track and I could see it being used as a single, However the title track, "Music of The Sun" comes over as filler material, which is a shame considering the fact that it is the title track. "Rush" and "There's A Thug in My Life" are merely average filler tracks and don't add any real "oomph" to MUSIC OF THE SUN".

Overall, Rihanna is off to a good start, but she stills has some things to improve on. Some things are just maturity factorsl; like Teairra Mari, she has a great voice, but she is just 17--she needs a few more years to truly mature into a "powerhouse" vocalist. Furthermore, the producers should make Rihanna's next album a bit more consistent. If you look at say Kanye West's THE COLLEGE DROPOUT, you see a consistent album where every track is great. Same with Anthony Hamilton's COMING FROM WHERE I'M FROM, to use an R&B example. Rihanna's debut is a bit scattered, but it is also a welcome addition to the music industry's summer catalogue, especially for the simple fact that Rihanna includes Caribbean influence into her songs. For me, I would rate this either 3 or 3.5 stars. Overall, not a bad debut Rihanna.