Juliette Deutsch co-editor-in-chief
For three years, Rihanna fans have been anxiously waiting for the singer to drop an album. To add, for most of 2015, due to lack of information and rumors, Rihanna’s “ANTI” album seemed like it was too good to be true for fans. The three full years since 2012’s “Unapologetic” – the longest break between releases in Rihanna’s career – turned out to be exactly what she needed in order to drop this album. After more than a decade as a superstar of the singles chart, she is now a superstar of the album.
The tracks on “ANTI”  are more muted than the flashier productions of Rihanna’s past work, which leaves room for the album’s biggest revelation: Rihanna’s show-stopping vocal performances in the songs “Kiss it Better” and “Higher.”
One year ago, on one-off single “FourFiveSeconds with Kanye West,” she belted in a raw, raspy tone that expressed levels of soul at which the previous decade of her career had only hinted. In the songs “Kiss It Better” and “Close to You”, she follows through on that promise, singing powerfully and with a deeper emotional density than she’s revealed before.
Now that “ANTI” is here, we can hear the singer’s eighth album for what it truly is: a masterpiece.
“ANTI” is an album that is built on what can be best described as connection. The tracks all flow together seamlessly and create a listening experience that is unlike any of her other albums. From “Desperado” to “Woo,” all of the tracks go hand in hand with each other and make for an incredible listening experience.
“ANTI”’s clear standout (and, for me, a top three Rihanna song) is the album opener “Consideration.” A collaboration with singer SZA, “Considerations’” opening lyric “I do things my own way darling” is the truest version of Rihanna we could ask for.