NEW YORK — Rihanna has broken her silence regarding Chris Brown's February assault against her in a recent series of interviews, and the singer told MTV News that her album will have a mix of songs detailing the "roller coaster" of emotions she's experienced in the past nine months. "It's my mini-movie," Rihanna said about her forthcoming album. "It's really honest, at times vulnerable, but it came from really, really deep in here [points to heart]. I just feel like I had to call it Rated R, 'cause it's my movie
." MTV News previewed the album on Tuesday (November 10) and Rihanna's description is certainly accurate. After the intro, Rated R kick starts with "Wait Your Turn" and the Young Jeezy-assisted "Hard." The material matches the artwork that's been released for the project so far, with Rihanna posturing as the bad chick. "Tougher than a lion/ Ain't no need in trying/ I live where the sky ends, yup, you know this," Rihanna sings in a near-rap flow on "Hard." "Never lying, truth telling/ That Rihanna reign just won't let up/ The hottest bitch in heels right here." In what will probably be referred to by fans as the "Chris Brown song," Rihanna reveals a softer side of herself on the ballad "Stupid In Love." "I still love you, but I can't do this/ I may be dumb but I'm not stupid," she sings on the Ne-Yo-penned record. "Stupid In Love" recounts a story of distrust over lies, raging emotions, and lamenting a lost love. "The dunce cap is off/ You don't realize what you lost 'til I'm gone/ I was the one," Rihanna croons. The pulsating "Russian Roulette" follows, but it's the next series of selections — "Rock Star," "Firebomb," and "Rude Boy" — that fit the Rihanna archetype of big, bombastic tracks that flaunt her sex appeal. "Rock Star" features former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash. With its mix of drum kicks and guitar licks, Rihanna revels in her rebellion. "I got my middle finger up/ I don't really give a f---." "G4L" is another posture record (the acronym is short for "gangster for life"), while "Te Amo" is the Barbados singer's paean to her international audience. The album once again turns somber, with the Will.i.am-assiste
d "Photographs," where Rihanna laments over a lost relationship. "It shoulda been me and you/ now all I got is these photographs," she sings. "The Last Song" is just that, after the Justin Timberlake-helmed "Cold Case Love." "Love" begins with a sparse melody and gradually builds through each verse before it crescendos with a full production flourish. Rihanna recently performed material from the album for the first time during a surprise appearance on Jay-Z's tour in Los Angeles this past weekend. The "Umbrella" star spoke to MTV News about the appearance and said she was both nervous and excited to get back to music. She said Rated R, set for a November 23 release, will be the beginning of a "new era." "There are a lot of butterflies, a lot of excitement," Rihanna said about her return to music. "I'm anxious. Like, I can't wait. But you're always nervous, because you're about to go do something big. It's a new thing, a new era. But I'm not scared. I'm just really excited. I just can't wait to start." Track list for Rated R, according to Def Jam: 1. "Mad House"
2. "Wait Your Turn"
3. "Hard"
4. "Stupid In Love"
5. "Russian Roulette"
6. "Rock Star"
7. "Firebomb"
8. "Rude Boy"
9. "Photographs"
10. "G4L"
11. "Te Amo"
12. "Cold Case Love"
13. "The Last Song"
ndcuffs into his.Lopez and Lambert will be among more than a dozen performers at Sunday's ceremony, and they took time out Thursday to perfect their performances.Lopez is in top form, but she's still a little nervous. She'll be singing a song fans have never heard before and performing live on TV for the first time in years."You know what you're doing and you feel very good about it, but at the same time, you wouldn't be human if you're not afraid," she said after her rehearsal.She's set to perform "Louboutins," the first single from her new album, "Love?" — due in stores next year. Flanked by backup dancers, the 40-year-old entertainer busts out her Fly Girl moves in a number that begins in a boxing ring and ends in the audience. Famed sports announcer Michael Buffer is in the act, too."I think it's going to be good," she said. "Dancing again, singing, the lights and the costumes — it all feels like second nature."Veteran choreographer Kenny Ortega, director of "Michael Jackson's This Is It," gave Lopez's performance a positive review."Awesome," he said after dropping by the Nokia Theatre to watch her rehearse.Lambert, 27, said he's eager to see how the star-studded crowd responds to his provocative performance, a sexed-up rendition of "For Your Entertainment," the first single off his upcoming album of the same name."I can't wait to see people I look up to as artists in the audience watch
ing. I think that will be a trip, and exciting and motivating all at the same time," he said after his rehearsal. "It will be really interesting to see what kind of reaction the number gets. It's different. It really does have an edge to it."The performance is heavy on leather and chains and includes Lambert dragging a shackled woman across the stage.Other artists set to perform at the 37th annual American Music Awards include Rihanna, Whitney Houston, Green Day, Lil' Wayne, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Keith Urban, Jay-Z and Carrie Underwood.Janet Jackson will open the show with a medley of songs, but producer Larry Klein wouldn't say whether her performance would be a tribute to her late brother."It's a surprise," he said.Fans voted online to choose the winners of the American Music Awards, which honor the year's top-selling artists in eight popular genres. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC from the Nokia Theatre.
