Put It On Blast

Rihanna “Lemme Get That” – Whereas her rival Beyonce is capable of expressing the emotional toll of living in an intensely competitive, hyper-materialistic subculture with her sympathetic, soulful delivery, Rihanna‘s cold, aloof voice lend her songs an opportunistic, ruthless tone that comes closer to the aesthetic of last year’s Clipse album than your average R&B starlet. There’s a relentless self-serving nihilism that carries through all of Good Girl Gone Bad, including her weak attempts at sappy balladry. The Timbaland-produced track “Lemme Get That” is her best song by far, mainly because it plays up the compelling soullessness of her voice and casts her as a straight-up conniving villainess. Though the contrast of her frighteningly blank voice and the sentimental lyrics of “Umbrella” makes for some appealing cognitive dissonance, she sounds far more natural and expressive when she’s overtly callous, manipulative, and obsessed with acquiring money and status. (Edit: You should probably read the comments section for this post.) (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Elsewhere: The Face Knife’s Summer Movie Comparison Chart returns for 2007. It will update throughout the season.

Also: Potato wave; make me fries. (Via Lindsayism)