Given the proliferation of young and beautiful {\urban} {\dance-pop} divas dominating the radio and music video airwaves in 2005, it initially was tempting to discount {$Rihanna} as yet another {$Beyoncé}-{$Ciara}-{$Ashanti} cash-in. But like her {@Def Jam} labelmate {$Teairra Mari} -- another young and beautiful {\urban} {\dance-pop} diva who emerged out of nowhere in 2005 -- {$Rihanna} is winsome rather than wannabe, thanks in no small part to her producers. Just as {$Teairra Mari} benefited greatly from irresistibly shrewd beat-making on her debut album, {$Rihanna} benefits from the knowing production work of Syndicated Rhythm Productions, aka {$Evan Rogers} and {$Carl Sturken}, who together produced a laundry list of contemporary {\teen pop} sensations during the prior decade. What these guys do that's so irresistibly shrewd is synthesize Caribbean rhythms and beats with standard-issue {\urban} {\dance-pop}: Caribbean-inflected {\urban}, if you will. So while a song like {&"Pon de Replay"} -- to pick the most obvious exhibit -- is driven by booming {\dancehall}-lite beats and a {\reggae} vocal cadence (and title spelling), it's a simple {\dance-pop} song at its core, with standard English-language singing as well as a can't-miss singalong hook (and a glitzy, {\urban}-style {@MTV} video to boot). The best songs on {^Music of the Sun} follow this appealing template, including the similarly catchy few songs that follow the aforementioned album-opening smash hit: {&"Here I Go Again,"} {&"If It's Lovin' That You Want,"} and {&"You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)."} As with most albums of this ilk, {^Music of the Sun} descends into faceless slow jams after a while, overall consistency not being among its attributes, but thankfully it picks up the pace toward the end of its 13-song run and concludes on a fun note, with a remix of {&"Pon de Replay"} featuring {$Elephant Man}. The result is one of the more engaging {\urban} {\dance-pop} albums of the year (and one of the most infectious summer jams, for sure), as well as a nice Caribbean primer for those not ready or willing to jump on the increasingly trendy {\dancehall} and {\reggaeton} bandwagons concurrently sweeping through America's more fashionable cities. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide