Inside Nokia Music

Wow!… is all I can really say about last nights Nokia presented Rated R launch party as the show kicked off with the rousing Mad House intro segueing into the first ever live performance of the so-very-fitting Wait Your Turn as “The wait is ova, The wait is ova” blared through the house PA in what could easily be some of the best live sound production I’ve ever heard.

There has been some uncertainty from fans over Rated R first single Russian Roulette but it becomes apparently clear that this is indeed not the case for the select few thousand super-fans in the audience tonight as the song performed live does nothing short of raising the roof. I’ve said it before and I’l say it again… Russian Roulette’s chorus is an epic soarer, and this live performance is testament to it.

One of the things that struck me immediately is that the sound is heavy, particularly on the Young Jeezy featured Hard, a song that I just can’t stop talking about since the show and probably won’t for a long time to come.

Saying that though, I’m sure most will be talking about Jay-Z joining Rihanna for a performance of Run This Town and save-the-best-for-last show-closer Umbrella. As a huge fan of the studio recording’s drum loop sample, I was particularly moved by the live drum interpretation as it brought an element of the new sound beautifully to this incredible classic. Frustratingly, with exceptional research skills, I just spent about an 45min looking for the tour drummer’s name but came up with nothing… Big-up to you my man, you were world-class!

All-in-all I feel truly honored to have been a part of this amazing event with Rihanna back and sounding better than ever!

Relive the event soon on nokia.com/rihanna with videos of Rihanna’s performance.

Wait Your Turn is exclusively available right now (selected markets only, please check) for download on the Nokia Music Store and the album Rated R (Nokia Exclusive) on 23 November which features 2 exclusive tracks Hole In My Head and Russian Roulette (Donni Hotwheel Remix)

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