Rihanna: In Her Russian Roulette

Rihanna’s new song called ‘Russian Roulette’ that was written by Ne-Yo and produced by Chuck Harmony taken off her album,”Rated R”, that will be available nationwide.Russian Roulette’s music video is directed by Anthony Mandler had premiere on ABC primetime.

The midtempo tune opens with a screaming processed-guitar solo that segues into an eerie-sexy bass rumble, accompanied by some unsettling imagery and the music ends dramatically with a single gunshot.

Guns, fear, a man pushing a woman to play a dangerous game — this is risque subject matter for any pop single. It’s even more daring for Rihanna right now, given her very public experience as a victim of violence earlier this year. This is her first solo release since that February incident with Cris Brown.

After a few listens, I think those risks absolutely pay off. Rihanna is in fine vocal form throughout, and Ne-Yo’s songwriting is economical and evocative per usual. I have a feeling “Russian Roulette” is a single we’re all going to be hearing a lot of in the coming months.

Did you like Rihanna’s new sound? Will you be playing the Russian Roulette?