Bad never sounded so good

R & B

Rihanna

All other contenders may want to consider finding a beach towel to throw in: Rihanna has got the summer locked up. The Barbadian teen -- with lots of help from singer-songwriter-producers Stargate, Timbaland, and Jay-Z -- flips the script on her previous releases by tilting the killer-to-filler ratio in favor of the good stuff. The already charting BFF anthem "Umbrella" is just the cocktail accoutrement on top of songs that pack even more zing. "Breakin' Dishes" may not convince anyone that Rihanna is much of a threat, but the stuttered phrases and breakbeat handclaps are irresistible. The revved-up "Shut Up and Drive" has enough fuzz on its guitars and keyboards to rival Robin Williams's forearms. And even the ballads keep it relatively snappy. What the songs lack in lyrical innovation they more than make up for in transporting rhythms. The few missteps (the perils-of-fame weeper "Question Existing," in particular) don't disturb the success of this album. [Sarah Rodman]