rihanna is strange with her mirage-like relationship to dancehall, like when i heard this song i thought 'ah yes the new song from def jam's reggaeist diva rihanna' but wwwwwhy, cos her big hit is called "pon de replay"?? it operates at the same comfy distance as w smith's "switch" and somewhat desperately taps into the n sky/lumidee bleary summer ladyanthem tradition, the one time i actually demand realness! but 'pon de replay' was about as real as train station couscous, DON'T BRING YOUR INEDIBLE RUBBER TO MY SUMMER WHEN I'M ASKING FOR SUPPLE AND DELICATELY SPICED! the video is a complete waste of time too.
"if its loving" comes as a minor shock then, i mean it retains the weird distance but with its singy songy relaxedness and "bridge is over" interpolations manages to be both real and charming enough to win over adjacent garden crowds and finally push that def jamaica misstep from memory. (you cannot run a sub-label purely on the basis of attractively citrus 12" sleeves and unnecessary dmx/wayne wonder style collaborations.)
