Posted: Saturday 14th June 2008

Somewhere between releasing S.O.S and Umbrella, Rihanna went from being just another female artist to the biggest female artist on the planet. Her third album Good Girl Gone Bad has conquered the world and you seemingly can’t go anywhere without seeing or hearing her. If you flick through the music channels on TV you’re guaranteed to see the videos for Umbrella, Don’t Stop The Music, Take A Bow and If I Never See Your Face Again on several of them. Having just re-released Good Girl Gone Bad with three new tracks, Rihanna has also decided to treat her fans to her first full-length live DVD release Good Girl Gone Bad Live.

Good Girl Gone Bad Live captures Rihanna’s performance at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester from December 2007. The 17-track set features songs from all three of Rihanna’s albums along with a Bob Marley cover thrown in for good measure. Kicking off with her debut hit Pon De Replay, it’s clear that we’re in for a good time as Rihanna emerges dressed in a PVC tutu like dress. The track sounds as fresh as it did on its initial release and whips the crowd up into a frenzy.

The majority of the Good Girl Gone Bad Live setlist is taken from Rihanna’s latest album. Thankfully she’s picked all of the strong tracks from that album including the incredible Breakin’ Dishes, the tender ballad Hate That I Love You and the Justin Timberlake-penned Rehab. Highlights from the set include a show-stopping performance of Unfaithful, a cage-themed performance of Push Up One Me and of course the encore of Umbrella.

Rihanna is often criticised for not having a very strong voice but we’d like to disagree. She sings every song on this DVD live and she sounds remarkable. She hits every note, piles energy into every performance and during Rehab manages a pretty impressive note-holding moment that even Mariah would be proud of. Rihanna may not have the most versatile of voices but she sure can sing and she does so very well.

The DVD also contains a documentary featuring interview footage with Rihanna about her career so far and the Good Girl Gone Bad Live tour.

Good Girl Gone Bad Live is a must for any Rihanna fan. She does the album justice in this live setting and shows just why she has quickly become the number one female artist on the planet. Rihanna is a superb entertainer and this show is impressive by anyone’s standards. Next time she hits the road we’re getting our tickets early but until then we’ll make do with this DVD.