Rihanna. Rihanna. Rihanna.
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[5.00]
Andy Hutchins: The best Rihanna song of 2015 not released by Rihanna! And it quotes “Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde,” one of the best Rihanna songs ever!
[7]
Anthony Easton: I can imagine Beyonce doing this with a bit more smolder, or Rihanna doing this with a bit more austerity. The production is so current, with the drips and the metallic beats, and it’s so much more interesting than Skye’s voice.
[6]
Thomas Inskeep: Dollar-store Rihanna. Reductive, sure, but accurate from her voice to the production.
[3]
Katherine St Asaph: A rough approximation of a pop star’s largesse is how many songwriters scramble to write them material. A rough approximation of that is how many debut artists release songs that sound exactly like them — which, of course, makes the star’s sound seem that much more ubiquitous. Which is to say: few people sound like Rihanna these days, do they? Justine Skye on “Bandit” is closest, conversant with “Bitch Better Have My Money” in sound and subject; when even Rihanna isn’t committing to this sound, it’s especially welcome. Skye tosses syllables like darts, and “bandit” in particular lands sharp.
[7]
Alfred Soto: Nothing in this track suggests spontaneity or imagination — it’s a wobbly-voiced rehash of Rihanna and The-Dream tropes. It’s like this is the idea.
[3]
Jonathan Bogart: One of the better Rihanna imitations in a while; the song itself is solid, with an organizing metaphor worthy of a more established musician, and she knows how to use repetition and drawn-out cadences to sell a hook. But if this were a Rihanna performance, it’d be a disappointing one; at that level, personality is more important than precision.
[6]
Ramzi Awn: In case you hadn’t heard, there’s only one bandit in the business. It may not be fair, but it’s clear. I think you know her name. She found love, she just got her money, and she’s not afraid to throw you in a trunk and make you take hits from the bong to get what she wants. That is what you call a bandit.
[3]