Has it really been only five years since Rihanna took the music scene by storm with her first album “Music of the Sun?” Remember “Pon de Replay,” dancing to this new singer with this unusual voice and wondering where the world would take her?

Five years later, she’s sold three platinum albums and has just released a new one, fresh on store shelves everywhere. Rihanna’s fifth studio album, “Loud,” debuted on Nov. 12.

Rihanna began to promote the album by letting her first single, “Only Girl(In the World),” hit the airwaves on Sept. 10, stirring up excitement for the upcoming album. The second and more anticipated single, “What’s My Name” featuring Drake, did even better, immediately reaching No.1 on the Billboard charts.

The album as a whole is very much Rihanna, but with a little unexpected twist. Reviewers can not put their fingers on what it is but it is not the typical Rihanna, which is a breath of fresh air. Usually she has too many upbeat, dancing songs but on “Loud,” there is the perfect mix of dance and softer songs.

The first track, “S&M,” is definitely a typical Rihanna song right from the opening lines of  “Na Na Na Come On” to the chorus “Cause I may be bad but I’m perfectly good at it,” to the dance beat that fits the club scene.

“Cheers,” the third song on the album, is a slower one, with a more reggae feel to it where she sings about partying on the weekend. She offers some words of advice, something you don’t usually hear from Rihanna. “Life’s too short to be sitting ’round miserable and people gonna talk whether you doing bad or good.”

“Fading” is one of the fans’ favorite songs on the album, not so much of a dance song, but more of a ballad that a lot of teenage girls are going to be using her lyrics on their Facebook statuses.

On this album, Rihanna did what a lot of artists have been doing lately, and that is featuring lots of other artists such as some of the hottest artists today: Drake, Eminem, and Nicki Minaj.

Her collaboration with Nicki Minaj on “Raining Men” has a very island feel to it and maybe one of the least notable songs on the album, despite Minaj’s magic touch on the songs she is featured on.

Rihanna decides to get her own piece of the “Love the Way You Lie” success and sings the second part of the chart topper, showing the other side of the story Eminem made famous. The rapper makes an appearance on the song, making it even more credible. This song is sure to be more famous the second time around.

The other songs on the album, such as “Skin,” are a little more risqué with the lyrics, while some of the songs on the rest of the album really aren’t worth mentioning such as, “California King Bed” and “Man Down.”

Altogether, the album is sure to be at the top of the charts because it is Rihanna and what she touches turns to gold.