Rihanna - Rehab
[Mercury]

Another week means another Rihanna single, or so it feels at the rate this R&B star releases tracks from her 'Good Girl Gone Bad' album. In this case, it's 'Rehab' that will mark the LP's 100th (or thereabouts) single and no, it's not a cover version of a certain hit by Amy Winehouse.

Partners in pop Timberlake and Timbaland wrote the song and you'd know it instantly from the opening beat alone, so recognisable is Timba's chart-dominating production - is there anyone he hasn't penned a hit for in the last 2 years? After a succession of uptempo singles, 'Rehab' is a slow ballad like her last effort Take A Bow, with pianos, strings, slow-motion beats and a general 'Cry Me A River'-feel allowing her vocals to take the lead. It's not often we get to hear Rihanna singing on a slowy these days, so it's a good reminder of just how strong a vocalist the 20-year-old is.

The only downside being that this is YET another song from Good Girl Gone Bad - isn't it time she started releasing some new material from album number four?