A Girl Like Me [Digipak] by Rihanna

Personnel include: Rihanna (vocals); Dwane Husbands, Corey Gunz, Sean Paul (vocals). Rihanna's " Pon the Replay " was the jam of summer 2005, and with good reason: its Caribbean-flavored rhythms and infectious, singalong chorus made it nearly irresistible. The Barbados-born singer's full-length, MUSIC OF THE SUN, performed well on the strength of the single, and offered more of Rihanna's commercially tailored dancehall-pop. A GIRL LIKE ME, Rihanna's sophomore release, is less overtly dancehall-influenced than its predecessor. Instead, the album makes a more straightforward play for mainstream R & B appeal. The album's lead-off single and video " SOS, " for example, centers on a sample from Soft Cell's version of " Tainted Love " (including the immediately recognizable laser-gun sound), making for a bouncy, sexy pop confection. " Unfaithful " is an R & B ballad that finds Rihanna in torch mode, and sounds like a hit in the making. While there's nothing quite as striking as " Pon the Replay " here, there is plenty to po...