Reaching it’s peak spot of #4 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, “FourFiveSeconds” offered some respite from the “Great Rihanna Drought of 2014.” With the commercial release of the “Towards The Sun,” however, it seems as though Rihanna has shown even more mercy for her thirsty Navy. The track was released as a single from Rihanna’s voice-acting debut, the animated Dreamworks film, Home. The soundtrack is set to feature several original Rihanna songs, perhaps in compensation for the two years since 2012’s Grammy Award winning, Unapologetic.
A departure from Rihanna’s darker, grittier songs, “Towards The Sun” opens with a falsetto hook that segues into the track’s stomping chorus that recalls Florence + The Machine (who’s confirmed to be sampled on a track for her untitled 8th album). An optimistic yearning for hope in the face of despair, the track lyrically recalls Mariah Carey’s buzz single from 2013’s Oz The Great and Powerful, “Almost Home.” Like “FourFiveSeconds,” the track features a vocally commanding performance in the chorus and bridges; nevertheless, the brief verses undeniably pale in comparison.
With the release of “Toward The Sun,” Rihanna confirms a continuing trend in experimenting beyond her command of R&B, a direction which suggests a more eclectic, audacious direction for the tentively titled, #R8.
