The Bottom Line
Here we go again. It might seem easy to say that Rihanna's flooding of the pop music marketplace with her own songs as well as featured performances is just too much Rihanna. However, to say that would not be matching reality. The fact is that, after 20 appearances in the pop top 10, her music remains at an impressively high level of quality. "You Da One" is reminiscent of last year's sweet "What's My Name," but it remains distinctive. Despite the fact she is already holding down the #1 spot on the singles chart, the single before that one is still generating significant radio airplay, and the featured performances by Rihanna are multiplying, I would still prefer "You Da One" over a number of other current pop hits.
Pros
- Lilting Carribean feel
- Sweetly romantic lyrics
- Dub step break to add interest
Cons
- Could easily fade into the background among more distinctive Rihanna hits
Description
- Written by Lukasz Gottwald, Ester Dean, John Hill, and Robyn Fenty
- Produced by Dr. Luke and Ester Dean
- Released November 2011 by Def Jam
Guide Review - Rihanna - "You Da One"
Current mainstream pop master Dr. Luke steps into the studio with Rihanna and we have another instant hit. In just two days it is lodged in the iTunes top 10, and, after only 4 days available for radio airplay, "You Da One" is already in the top 25. Top 10 status is guaranteed for this sweetly lilting piece of island reggae. A brief dub step breakdown adds instrumental interest, but it wasn't really needed. Like last year's "What's My Name," the new single "You Da One" is a swooning, charming, romantic song perfect as a soundtrack for infatuated lovers.
This is Dr. Luke's first collaboration with Rihanna. The result sounds more like Rihanna than it sounds like his previous work. That is a tribute to the pair's compatibility. One connection to previous Dr. Luke productions, however, may be the dub step break. It is very reminiscent, if more mellow, than a similar break in Britney Spears' #1 smash "Hold It Against Me" co-written and co-produced by Dr. Luke. "You Da One" has been instantly embraced by Rihanna's massive fan base as well as by mainstream pop radio programmers.
Advance word is indicating "You Da One" may be the most pop friendly of all of the tracks on Rihanna's upcoming Talk That Talk album. It certainly is filled with pop charm, but it seems far too early to worry about whether there will be major follow up hits on Talk That Talk. Rihanna has certainly taken other unusual tracks into the top 10. For now, Rihanna continues on a roll. This is not the best pop single of the year, but it is good, and it is a quality addition to current pop music playlists.
