Coldplay - Princess Of China (feat. Rihanna)

As unlikely pairings go, this one would certainly make anyone's top ten list. Princess Of China brings together a woman who once sang about how chains and whips excited her, and a band fronted by a man who would probably have severe issues with the environmental damage caused by the manufacture of said chains and whips. To collaborate is a daring move. Their styles of music are incredibly different and their personalities are even more so. The question is whether they have managed to pull off a master stroke.

In listening to this song, one could be forgiven for having flashbacks to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. The whole track is haunted by a pounding, oriental-esque drumbeat and fantastic harmonies between Martin and Rihanna. This is certainly an energetic effort to say the least. Indeed, the words over-produced spring to mind. However, since the same description has been leveled at Oasis' Be Here Now on multiple occasions, this is not necessarily a bad thing. This energy is particularly noteworthy in the chorus, which will be wedged firmly into the listeners mind for many minutes after the track has ended.

The problem with this song though is that it is simply just OK. Although it sticks in the listeners head, it doesn't do so in a way that makes you desperate to listen to it again. This is not to say that it's a bad song, just that it doesn't really go anywhere hugely exciting.

All in all then, this effort could have been better, but given who was collaborating on it, it could also have been so much worse. The coming together of Coldplay and Rihanna has not been one to rival the great Lennon and McCartney, but there have been far more infamous combinations than this in history. Myra Hindley and Ian Brady spring instantly to mind.

Worth a listen? Yes, but probably only once.

Verdict: 6/10

Rihanna - Where Have Your Been

As a writer, it is very difficult to find anything to say about Rihanna that hasn’t been said already. Whether you love her or hate her, nearly everybody has an opinion on her. For better or for worse, it is often not the music itself that attracts attention to her, and controversy tends to follow her around like an overly-enthusiastic car salesman. Perhaps this is just part of the parcel when you happen to be one of the biggest pop stars in the world. So what of her latest offering, Where Have You Been?

Well to kick off, nobody can speak of a new Rihanna single without mentioning the video. Comparatively, this one is pretty dry. Don’t get me wrong, she still wears so few clothes in it that any responsible mother would warn her that she’d catch her death if she didn’t wrap up more warmly. However, that aside, it’s fairly uncontroversial. There are no whips or chains and at no point is she tied up, beaten or even abused. Instead, the video starts with her crawling out of a swamp like a hippo on an intense mission (a very aesthetically pleasing hippo at that though). From there, proceedings pretty much degenerate into a perplexing tribal dance routine and a few minutes later the song is over. As videos go it is not bad, but with a Rihanna video you can’t help but want for something that will enrage grumpy Daily Mail readers within the content, and this is sadly lacking here.

As for the song itself it is another of Rihanna’s dance numbers. It is listenable enough but doesn’t really contain any noteworthy hooks or “sit up and listen” moments. It is also quite difficult to make out a clear-cut chorus in this number too, which for a pop song tends to be something of a cardinal sin. In this case, the song doesn’t suffer much from the absence of a big chorus, but one would have been nice nevertheless.

Overall this song is not one of Rihanna’s best. ‘Where Have You Been?’ never threatens the prior brilliance of Disturbia or Russian Roulette, but in my view is certainly a better effort than the ultimately unbearable Umbrella. It is one of those songs that the casual listener is unlikely to remember, but not one that anyone will be banging their head against a brick wall to try and forget.

Worth a listen? I’d say yes, but don’t expect it to blow you away.

Verdict: 6.5/10